The European Union now requires that all Tattoo pigment colours for sale within the EU are Sterile. This is why the major pigment manufacturers in the USA now sterilize all their colours.
Sterilization of Tattoo pigments is achieved by the process of exposing their pigments to Ionizing Radiation in a process called Irradiation.

Tattoo pigments are now being exposed to Cobolt-60 to render them sterile. The EU and the FDA have never approved irradiation as a safe method to render Tattoo pigments sterile!
This could become the biggest health issue facing the Tattooed, ever!

In Australia, sixteen cats were reported to have been euthanized after severe paralysis subsequent to being fed a certain cat food. The manufacturer speculated this was due to irradiating the pet-food. Researchers from Wisconsin University found that cats fed an irradiated diet during gestation developed a severe neurologic disease resulting from extensive myelin vacuolation and subsequent demyelination. It is not yet clear by which mechanism and what changes induced in the irradiated pet food caused damage in the white matter of the spinal cord and brain of the cats.

This is only one report of hundreds about adverse effects from irradiated food. Food travels through the system. Tattoo pigment is injected under the skin and stays with you forever and the more Tattoo Art you get with sterile pigment the more residue from COBOLT-60 you are getting injected into your body!

Irradiation is known to change plastic, It can make soft plastics brittle by changing it's molecular structure, some brands (starbrite, intenze, kuro sumi, true colours etc.) of colour are still dispersed in a plastic (acrylic) resin. Irradiation may also change the molecular structure of pigments which may render a previously safe pigment unsafe.

No one has any idea as to the long term health effects of tattooing pigments that have been Irradiated into people and yet manufacturers are now falling over themselves to sterilize their pigments so as to make even more money by selling in the EU market, without any care or thought as to the long term detrimental effects of their actions on people. They are experimenting on the public without them knowing!

All Irezumi ink is batch made, in house by Trent Wylie. We have complete control over all aspects of it's manufacture. We will never Irradiate our pigments to increase our sales. Individuals are still able to purchase our colour privately for import into the EU.

ACRYLIC COPOLYMERS

Many manufacturers disperse their pigments in Acrylic Copolymer. Acrylic Copolymer is a liquid plastic that will dry to a hard film in an ink or paint, this is what makes it withstand the elements and makes it waterproof. Great for ink and paint but not for Tattoo Pigment. Lets face it is not a Tattoo Artist friendly ingredient, on hot days you are faced with the need to remove the little lumps of plastic that form on your needle clusters and impede penetration, the Tattoo on the client is hard to clean up afterwards if any ink has dried on the skin. Cleaning your gear is also a hard task and if you spill any on your clients clothes you could be up for the cost of a replacement garment, as if it dries it won't wash out! But apart from that their are also health issues.

Many modern Copolymers become hard and brittle when exposed to UV radiation over time. We have an old bottle of Starbrite ink which was left unused for 10 years, when we shake this bottle the contents now rattle around inside. This is because we now have a solid lump of brittle plastic inside. The Acrylic has gone hard in storage. The same process can happen in a Tattoo to a smaller degree over time.
The process that causes Plastic to become brittle and change colour in a Tattoo is brought about by free radicals, which form following exposure to the sun and cause polymer degradation. The O3 molecule breaks the double bond on the backbone or primary chain of the polymer, and, with the addition of moisture, will cleave the chain. Cumulative chain cleavage results in some polymers turning brown and losing their flexibility, forming dull hard areas in the skin. Depending on what polymeric species is being used, chemical fragments of the original chain can combine with other species like water to form acids, which can in turn also attack polymer structures further.
It's a very simple thing for a manufacturer to remove the Acrylic Co Polymer from their formulation, however they are then faced with the need to perfect their dispersions in another medium which is harder to use, as the Acrylic is a very good dispersion agent. All Irezumi is dispersed in a water/glycerin based vehicle and we do not disperse any of our pigments in Acrylic. If the colour you are using dries to a waterproof film on paper its Acrylic based!

GLOW IN THE DARK COLOURS

We will not sell glow in the dark or "black light" pigments . These pigments are made by infusing plastic (perspex) with a fluorescent dye, and then grinding the plastic to a fine powder (pigment) The dyes are water soluble so once the plastic starts to degrade due to UV degradation, 10 years or so, the dye is released and absorbed into the body leaving a brittle plastic powder under the skin. They were originally developed as a marker dye for fish. Fish have a shorter life span then people so it is not an issue (for fish!) enough said.!

Pigment Dispersion Explained

A PERSON SKILLED IN THE TECHNIQUES OF PIGMENT POWDER APPLICATION WILL GET GOOD RESULTS CONSISTENTLY. A PERSON SKILLED IN THE TECHNIQUES OF DISPERSED PIGMENT APPLICATION WILL GET GREAT RESULTS CONSISTENTLY.

FACTS ON COLOUR DISPERSION

All pigments purchased from a manufacturer are in the raw, unprocessed state. Although they are sold by type and particle size, the particle size at this stage is somewhat irrelevant as the particles are fused together into small clumps called “agglomerates”. These agglomerates are formed during the manufacturing process. The energy of simply stirring pigment into liquid is not great enough to overcome the particle attractive forces preventing the breakup of the agglomerates, the use of food blenders or a mortar and pestle will not break up the agglomerates as this process requires huge mechanical force, usually a machine called a “contra-shear” is used. If the number of agglomerates isn’t limited, the pigments properties will be adversely affected (hiding power, tint strength, colour, also you will have grit in the finished colour). Although the pigments are manufactured to yield optimum hiding power, intensity and colour, these basic properties may not be realized if the initial dispersion is inadequate.

Dispersion is the actual process where agglomerates of pigment particles are broken and separated into optimum particle distribution.

The difference between pigment that has been dispersed and that which hasn’t must be experienced to be appreciated. Un-dispersed pigment, because of its high uneven particle size can work poorly, this inflicts more pain on the client during the Tattoo process, and after, as the heavy working of the pigment will result in longer healing times with heavy scab formation, resulting in loss of pigment upon healing and the consequent loss of colour. Un-dispersed pigment will not mix with others properly and the colours obtained from mixing un-dispersed pigment can break up, and change colour significantly over a relatively short period, 1 or 2 years. Un-dispersed pigment is often very sandy or gritty, hence its poor working ability.

Dispersed pigment on the other hand, because of its small even particle size, works better, normal healing times 4-7 days with little or no scab when correctly applied. Dispersed colour is more intense and brighter and will be uniform in appearance. To understand this better, imagine filling a drum with large rocks (raw pigment), you then remove the rocks and pound them into dust, then put this dust back into the drum. The dust now only partially fills the drum yet you still have the same amount of pigment. The main advantage of this process is that the finer the particle size is, the more particles will fit side by side in any given area, and the more particles there are in a given area to reflect light, the more intense, even and brighter the colours will be.

Unfortunately most Tattoo suppliers claim there colour is dispersed when it is not. If you are unsure if the pigment you are using is dispersed, put a few drops of colour onto a smooth piece of paper and let it dry. If it appears gritty or sandy it is not dispersed, dispersed pigment will have an even look to it.

We like to incorporate the latest advances in pigment technology when formulating IREZUMI pigment inks. The new Max formulation has come a long way from Irezumi's inception over 20 years ago. IREZUMI pigment ink has evolved (and will continue to evolve) into the brightest, easiest to apply and most durable ink of it’s kind.

LIKE ALL PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS YOU DO ACTUALLY NEED PROFESSIONAL SKILL TO USE IT CORRECTLY.

The following are some exerts from our Tattoo Handbook.

If you have a good, powerful machine, good professionally dispersed colour and you are getting poor results then IT IS YOUR FAULT! sorry but that is the simple truth, if your ego won't let you see this then there is probably not much future for you in this industry.

However if you can accept this simple truth then there is hope for you. So what do you do, you play! yes, you need to get a friend into the studio that has lots of Tattoo work on them that needs colour and you go play. You try every different needle configuration you can think of, you try every variation of style you can imagine, you try un-splayed short points, you try splayed tapers, you tilt your machine this way and that and all the time you are taking notes of what you did and how and where you did it. You check what you did 5-7 days later. Is there a spot, just one! among all the scabs formed from overworking or the washed out underworked bits. If you can just find one spot, just one spot! where the colour is healed and is nice and bright, clean and vivid. If you can find this spot, then that is the bit you did right! Now you need to duplicate how you did that spot and you are on the way! It will not happen straight away and you may need to play around for months until you get it, but if you did it once you can do it again and when you know how, and you develop your technique to do it consistently you are there!

PIGMENT NEWS

Some time ago in Europe Health Authorities obtained samples of pigment being used in many Tattoo Studios in Germany, The Netherlands and the UK. These samples were analyzed and a list of all pigments compiled. This list is now the EU's provisional list for Tattoo Pigments. The thinking behind these moves is that when an outbreak of allergic reactions to any particular colour occurs in any locality, the pigment can be identified and removed from the list.

Mystic Art Productions Limited have supplied the EU with a complete list of pigments that it uses and pigments known to be in use by other suppliers. These pigments in most cases, have been in use for over 20 years without problem. However we were concerned that many pigments on the provisional list are already known to be problematic. Some examples are: Pigment Red 108 (Cadmium Selenide), Red 57:1 (Calcium Salt) and Red 57 (Barium Salt).

Because there seems to be a proliferation of new Tattoo Suppliers, many selling counterfeit brand name colours from China, coming into the industry selling any pigment that heals, without a care as to the health effects of their colour, and to avoid potentially dangerous experimentation by these suppliers on the unsuspecting public in the future, Mystic Art Productions Limited have included comprehensive information in the Tattoo Handbook, listing all colours used within the Tattoo industry to date, both by our company and others. Also we list pigments that are known as problematic and which should be avoided. Mystic Art Productions Limited is also the first company in the world to print the pigment identity for every colour on the bottle label and have done for over 11 years!

WARNING

If you are purchasing colour from other sources ensure that your supplier discloses the pigment identity on the product label. Some pigments are dangerous! If your supplier will not disclose they may have something to hide, beware.

Our company realised that by disclosing pigment identity to our competitors, and would be competitors, we were are taking a commercial risk, however we believe that in the interests of public safety
disclosure needs to be made. We also believe that other reputable suppliers will be forced to follow our lead or risk the perception that they have something to hide.

The days of a supplier getting away with simply adding some alcohol and glycerin to a little raw, secret, pigment grit and selling it as a Tattoo Ink are (hopefully) nearly over. Modern Tattoo Ink is a highly sophisticated formulation and its manufacture involves very specialized skills and equipment to ensure proper dispersion and constitution.

MYTHS & FACTS ABOUT COLOUR

As a supplier we have been amazed over the years at some of the myths, untruths and misinformation that gets spread about colour. For example one supplier says: "we only sell powder colour..."and goes on to say" some colour in solution form has been reported to have a tendency of spreading after the Tattoo has healed" If they are referring to dispersed pigments then this is totally untrue, dispersed pigment colour is stable, what this supplier is really saying is that we lack the skill and expertise to disperse colour properly so we will try to scare you into buying our product. We note that this company sells a brand name drawing ink as its black, this black is in fact a pigment pre-dispersed in an acrylic copolymer with very strong preservatives, probably formaldehyde ( known carcinogen) and is not made for Tattooing. All blacks available from Mystic Art Productions are in fact pure pigments, dispersed in a water based vehicle with herbal preservatives, they are made for Tattooing. If the black that you currently use dries on paper or film then it's a copolymer based drawing ink.

Another supplier says that after health authorities tested colour in the Netherlands that their colour was free of " AZO's (material that causes cancer) and other pollution" This supplier is playing on fear to sell colour, maybe a few Azo Dyes can cause cancer, however there are lots of Azo Dyes, and to make a blanket statement that they cause cancer is very misleading and irresponsible. For example Food Grade Colours such as: Tartrazine, Quinoline Yellow, Yellow 2G, Sunset Yellow, Azorubine, Amaranth and the list goes on, are all Azo Dyes! No supplier should sell pigment that is carcinogenic, Azo's or otherwise. The scary thing is many suppliers don't know or care what they are selling!

In 2008 the E.U. released a list of pigments, and substances not safe for Tattooing. Also tests have been developed to ascertain the amounts of "Amines" in Tattoo colour, these are thought to cause cancer. All but one or two of the pigments used by Mystic Art to formulate Irezumi pigment ink have been tested and have been proved safe. The remaining pigments will be tested in due course, however as they are the same chemical class as pigments already tested we are absolutely confident they to will comply.

Organic Pigments. So often we are asked if our pigments are organic, the questioner usually has a perception that if its organic its good, like organically grown vegetables! Well some are some aren't, but when it comes to pigments, organic is not necessarily good. One pigment with a very safe history within the industry, White (TiO2) is a totally synthetic Pigment. The pigments used in Tattoo are a mixture of organic, inorganic, synthetic and naturals.

Natural Pigments should not be confused with pigments that occur naturally like iron oxides.

Natural pigments are mainly derived from various plant matter, tree bark etc., they are sold by some companies along with iron oxides, for cosmetic Tattooing. Unlike iron oxides they are generally fleeting (not permanent) and start to fade fairly quickly. Our company deals exclusively with pigments that are suitable for Tattoo Art, with a high degree of permanence so we do not use Naturals.

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