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Vegan Tattooing by Clinton Sawicz

10/5/2010

20 Comments

 
Picture
I started getting tattooed a long time ago. Not really thinking about much to do with the process i got my first, and then another and another. Some six or so years later i stumbled into a job a shop here in salt lake called Apparition Ink. I became shop manager. One of my duties as shop manager was to do the ordering for the artists. Looking through the catalogues i saw something that up until that moment never even entered my mind to look for "vegan ink". I'm covered in tattoos and never once did i stop and think about what tattoo ink was made of. So my search began to find out what inks were vegan and which were not because the thought of using non vegan tattoo ink was horrifying to me. I started calling companies and asking them if their glycerin was animal or plant based. I started looking at websites for inks and tattoo ink forums. If i couldn't get a hold of a company I called a distributor for that company and had them find out for me. It was really weird some companies were so straight forward "yes they are vegan, the glycerin is plant based" or "no, sorry our ink is not" so companies never returned my phone call or email, some told me they wouldn't tell me, some gave "vague answers"... from all of that, the following information is what i compiled.

Stable and Classic brands come right out on their websites and even right on the bottle that they are vegan. These are the two brands i use on a daily basis. Intenze, Fantasia, Dermaglo, Eternal, Skin Candy, StarBrite, Waverly, Unique, Millennium, Good Color Brand all said their glycerin was plant based. Black ink is where you are going to most commonly find non vegan inks. The companies that are not vegan use bone char to make their black inks. "One" brand, Dynamic, Pelican, Talens, Kuro Sumi Brands are not vegan Silverback color system is a brand of premixed black and grey inks which when ask by (at my request) Rebecca (an Eikon Tattoo Supply Employee) if their inks were vegan, they gave her a "vague answer". It's safe to say their ink is in fact not vegan and they didn't want to say one way or another so it wouldn't affect their sale. While researching which inks were vegan or not i came across the fact that industry wide used "green soap" is not vegan as well. It contains glycerin that is animal derived. A great substitute and the one i use is Dr Bronner's liquid soaps. Tea Tree oil actually promotes healing in minor cuts and abrasions. 

A little info on aftercare. Bacitracin is always a good choice. It's what i recommend all my clients to use. The carrier used is either petroleum jelly or paraffin. It’s as bare bones as you can get. I researched the 2 biggest "tattoo aftercare" companies. H2Ocean is vegan, the glycerin used in their products is plant based. Tattoo Goo on the other hand uses bee's wax. Some artist recommend A+D ointment, i information i found suggests this is almost never vegan. They frequently use cod liver oil as the source of the Vitamins A and D and contain lanolin. As far as the lotion you should use, anything that says "Vegan" and doesn't have alcohol in it. I personally used the Whole Foods brand cause it's usually cheap and says "no animal ingredients or testing" on the bottle; makes it easy. 

So, there you have it, all the companies i was able to get information on their ingredients. Hope this proves helpful to someone, anyone. haha. A great source for finding a Vegan tattoo artist is Vegantattoos.com 

Hope this finds you all extremely well.

-Clinton

You can check out Clinton's work at Apparition Ink in Salt Lake City, Utah www.apparitionink.com


20 Comments
Kurt
12/4/2010 12:22:32 am

H2Ocean has one vegan product (and they indeed mention it on their site), but their other products contains lysozyme, a protein generally derived from egg whites.

Reply
Ashley
1/27/2011 12:12:00 pm

Do you by any chance happen to know if Millennium is vegan then? Or any of MOMS inks?

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Ashley Thomas link
2/6/2011 02:20:58 pm

Just to jump in here, MOMS ink does not list anywhere on their site that they are vegan, but aside from that as a tattoo artist i have not found their inks to be particularly high quality. In my opinion, Eternal makes the best inks hands down. They use organic pigments, list all ingredients right on the bottle, and have an expiration date listed as well. I use exclusively Eternal Ink and have found it to be the best, hands down. I've used Starbrite as well, wich also claim to be vegan and organic, but don't prefer them (although some artists do and there is really nothing wrong with them). Some other vegan inks are Stable Inks and Skincandy, neither of which i've used. Bottom line, i'd steer clear of Millenium ink just to be safe.

Reply
Keli
3/21/2011 12:09:36 am

Thank you!

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kali1313 link
3/21/2011 01:57:56 am

I am a vegan tattooer as well. I use Eternal Inks and Skin Candy Ink and try to use as many eco-friendly products in my line as well-no lubricated strips on my razors, bio degradable plastics, Alba non petroleum jelly, and Dr. Bronner's soaps and ointments.
I find that many clients are more aware of vegan tattooers and seek them out!
YAY!

Reply
Ada
11/9/2011 09:35:37 am

Apparition Ink has closed, but is now working with Oni Ink. Does anyone know if their tattoo's are vegan?

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Ashley Thomas link
11/12/2011 10:45:38 am

I'm not certain if the tattoos at Oni are vegan, but the best way to know for sure is to call or stop in and ask them. Things you're looking for for a 100% vegan tattoo include inks (Eternal, Intenze, Starbright, Waverly, Silverback, Classic are all vegan brands), Bacitracin rather than A&D, and Dr. Bronners rather than green soap. Also, razors should not have a lubrication strip. At any shop, any artist that truly cares about their clientele will be more than happy to answer any and all questions so that you feel 100% at ease about your tattoo.

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Sammy
12/12/2011 08:43:03 pm

For a free information sheet on vegan tattooing email info@vegansociety.com

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Erin Chance
12/18/2011 09:41:19 am

All Silverback products are vegan, I've asked Randy (the developer and owner) myself. And they've addressed it on their twitter several times. They get asked a lot.

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Michelle
1/2/2012 11:18:41 pm

Kuro Sumi is vegan, their glycerin is plant based!

Reply
Ashley
1/5/2012 01:44:09 am

Kuro Sumi ink is not vegan; the color inks are believed to be vegan-friendly, but the black inks use animal-derived ingredients. This information comes direct from the manufacturer; you can get more info by calling their number, listed at kurosumi.com

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Randy Scott Howell link
1/8/2012 01:10:51 am

The TRUTH:
ALL Silverback Ink products are & will ALWAYS be 100% vegan. I couldn't imagine doing it any other way!!
Erin (Chance) is correct!! She asked me this question directly, face to face in Calgary, Canada. (If you're reading this, Hi Erin!!)
If you or anyone you may encounter has questions concerning the nature of this post, please feel free to contact me directly via TATTOODYOU@aol.com
Respectfully,
Randy Howell / Silverback Ink

Reply
Ashley Thomas
1/10/2012 06:16:08 am

Randy - if there is a list of ingredients anywhere on the web or if it's available via email, if you can post where people can find that info that would be great. Thanks for clarifying, the more vegan tattoo products out there, the better :)

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james spooner (vegan tattooer in Los Angeles and New York) link
2/5/2012 07:15:23 pm

Ive read, moms is not vegan, I have also read Dynamic is and is not. I don't use either but there seems to be multiple view points on some of these points.

I do a 100 percent vegan procedure, mixing my own petroluem alternative and using Eternals, Intenze and waverly inks. Silver back as well.

better safe than sorry.

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Joshua H.
2/23/2012 03:51:09 am

Thanks for the info Clint. I'm actually in SLC as well. I thought that Kuro was vegan. That's a bummer they aren't. I'll have to try silverbacks. Do you know anything about Nationals, I've been using them for the past 6 years. I called them a few months ago asking about their inks. They were kind of hesitant to provide much info.

Reply
Joshua H.
2/23/2012 03:52:27 am

Also what do you suggest for solid blacks?

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Ashley Thomas
12/29/2012 03:22:22 am

Silverback, Waverly, Eternal Triple Black, and Fusion are all vegan black ink options. Classic Ink is vegan, but I hear that the manufacturer has up and disappeared. If anyone knows anything about classic ink's future plans, please feel free to post thanks!

Reply
John Connolly
6/23/2013 05:22:56 am

All Intenze Brank inks are vegan. They take being vegan seriously. Their inks are also sterilized.

L
8/12/2015 11:14:37 pm

Dynamic is vegan. Check your facts.

Reply
david
6/12/2018 04:01:51 pm

lol might be "vegan" but their black ink they use carbon which is extreamly toxic

Reply



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