Pigments in microblading are one of the topics that has raised more questions than many others. Mainly because many people going into microblading just do not know a lot about chemistry (as many friends and now members of our team fortunately do). This, combined with the fact that people tend to be gullible when they know less about something, has enabled many producers and resellers to take advantage of that simply by scaring people. We believe that everything regarding pigments should be based on facts. The following may be helpful if you are an aspiring microblading artist that wants to know more fact-based information about the pigments used in the industry.
What is the basic idea of pigments?
Colors used in microblading and PMU, in fact, always consist of two primary parts: pigment itself (we'll come back to that later on in detail) and some sort of liquid carrier that enables us to deliver the pigment into the skin. As we all do know, in microblading, the target is to get enough pigment molecules to the Basal membrane, and it is safe to say that without a carrier liquid, that would be simply impossible. The pigment part of the pigment has to be sustainable enough that the human body would not remove it immediately (or too fast). As those carriers are inside the substance that we call pigment, let us first talk about those.
Liquid carriers
Of course, amongst the very fact that liquid carriers allow pigment molecules to enter the skin, those also have other functions. They hold the whole substance together, grant moisture, and quite often also contain solvents that allow the production of pigment. Now, let us zoom into what you might find in a typical liquid carrier.
Witch-hazel (aka Hamamelis or Hamamelis virginiana) - It is a plant, the leaves of which (and actually also fruit) are used to make a semi liquid substance that is a gentle and soft cooling agent. It is used in various cosmetic products as a totally harmless semisolid component of a very large amount of creams and cooling gels (against rashes, swelling, etc). This is a part of the liquid carrier that is purely natural. Still, it is not a good idea to eat Which-hazel, as you most certainly understand several substances that are ok on top of or inside the skin may cause harm when swallowed.
Purified water - Quite often, pigments also contain some water (H2O). Obviously, this is not ordinary drinking water, instead, it is purified water- this means that it is cleaned of all sorts of contaminants. Still, the chemical formula is H2O, or HOH, to represent its molecular shape more accurately. Water can be purified through osmosis, filtration, and distillation - thus, let us just say it is absolutely pure - no smell, no taste. Also safe, as you may well assume.
ALCOHOLS - Now alcohol as a whole is totally different kind of beast when it comes to chemistry, and let us just say it is quite impossible to tell as a whole whether it is safe or not because there are so many kinds of different alcohols in the chemical sense. I.e. a class of wine would most probably have a positive effect on your day, whereas a class of methanol would cause some rather interesting reactions in your body that can well end your life due to formaldehyde (or at least make you blind). When it comes to pigments, we highly suggest you go into detail and zoom into the exact formula - and it pays off to be very exact; small changes in details may mean totally another kind of substance with different effects. Here are some alcohols that you might find in pigments (or rather in the liquid carrier of those).
Glycerine (C3H8O3) - aka glycerol or sugar alcohol. Also a totally natural, odorless, colorless liquid substance. It has a sweet taste and is also used as a sweetener in the food industry. What is the main idea of Glycerol (or glycerine) in pigments? It just keeps the liquid moist and does not let some other components of the pigment just evaporate. Glycerine is generally produced from animal sources, soya beans or palm. Different alcohols are used to get glycerol as a result of the reaction from triglycerides that those substances contain. It can be said that glycerine is totally safe.
Propylene glycol (C3H8O2) -It is a fine sample of a substance that gets people really scared. Why? Because it is also found (or actually makes up a large part) of the antifreeze used to cool car engines. At first, you would think you did not want to insert that into humans' faces. And you would be wrong. As with so many other substances used in the cosmetics and food industry - whilst propylene glycol can be produced synthetically as a byproduct that you get from oil refining or natural gas processing, it can also be found in nature, i.e. as a byproduct of simple fermentation. Although in antifreeze, the substance may have a bit of a sweet taste, in pigments, propylene glycol (that is also sometimes called 1,2-propanediol) is a totally odorless, colorless, and tasteless substance. Although in various databases you may find that it is listed among carcinogens, FDA (Federal Drug Administration) has also issued a statement proving propylene glycol to be relatively safe. However, let us not get carried away; much of the discussion on the internet is related to eating this substance. When it comes to using it in cosmetic products and pigments, its purpose and the quantity in which it is used is hugely smaller. In pigments, it is just used to maintain moisture. Although most pigments do not contain propylene glycol, you should not be afraid of it. Here it should also be noted that one should never get carried away by just reading the label and making quick conclusions. Chemistry is a bit more complicated and you should always zoom into more details than just the headlines. I.e. we all know that Arsenic is one of the most effective poisons of all time; however, it is necessary for human functioning to a certain extent. Everything must be put into context and in the context of pigments, considering how propylene glycol is used and in which amounts it is safe.
Isopropyl alcohol (C3H8O) - aka isopropanol- is the simplest antiseptic used by many artists. Or at the list, it is one of the main components of that. Now, when it comes to the safety of isopropanol inside the liquid carrier of pigments, one might also get a bit carried away by the fact that in large quantities (although used for acne treatment), isopropanol dries the skin (when rubbed on the skin). From there, some people have drawn the conclusion that also inside the liquid carrier, isopropanol would start drying the skin. It is really far-fetched at best, but in reality, taking into account the quantity and, even more importantly, the function of isopropanol as solvent int the process of mixing the pigment substances together, it is safe. The only influence of isopropanol in such substances is related to pigment drying a bit faster (affecting the application process).
Propylethylen glycol (C2nH4n+2On+1) - aka PEG, is a chemical substance that is usually just used to retain the moisture of the pigment and liquidity. Basically, in a chemical sense, one can produce PEG by having ethylene oxide react with water or ethylene glycol. It is used medically in many laxatives as well as in a very large number of cosmetic products. Although in some rare cases, there has been some sort of allergic reaction to PEG and claims that it affects the liver and kidneys, in pigments, it is safe. In addition to pigments, it is used in many products that can be (at least partially) digested (i.e, toothpaste), and thus, if a person is allergic to PEG components, it is almost certain that she gets it in much larger quantities from other sources (mostly food). Please never misinterpret propyl ethylene glycol for ethylene glycol, which can be quite toxic and never used in pigment liquid carriers. Although most pigments do not contain PEG elements, it is safe to say that inside the liquid carrier of the pigment, those are harmless.
Rosin (C15H20O6) - It is a substance that is made from a resin taken from palm trees. It is sometimes produced as a byproduct when making paper and other products trees are used for. Rosin is used often to make several products thicker and more solid - as a glazing agent when it comes to several medications or even chewing gum. As well as, rosin substances are used in the role of emulsifiers in soft drinks. When it comes to pigments, the purpose of rosin is to give the substance a better, more solid, and thicker form. Sometimes people concerned with their health are very worried about the glycerol ester of rosin i.e. in soft drinks such as Gatorade. However, once again, as it is with so many other substances, attention should be drawn to the actual quantity of the product. In pigments, it is safe.
Isopropyl palmitate (C19H38O2) - Used with a similar purpose as rosin, it is a substance from palms (palm oil) and coconut oil. Using isopropyl palmitate in a pigment liquid carrier is to make the pigment thicker, unites different substances, and gives the pigment a clearer shinier, softer, and smoother state. Although some people highly concerned with cosmetic products’ side effects may claim isopropyl palmitate causes acne, blackheads, whiteheads, and clogged pores, it is highly exaggerated when it comes to pigments, according to the opinion of many professionals. In reality, it is just an odorless, colorless, clear substance that helps to maintain the viscosity of the pigment and does not harm the client.
That sums up about everything that is most commonly used in liquid containers nowadays pigments. In the past (and nowadays also in some cheaper and a bit older products) also, ethanol (C3H8O3) and Listerine (C30H52O3) were used. However, at the moment, the liquid carrier can be made without those as the cons of the latter often out-weighed their pros.
PIGMENTS
Now, let us look into the color itself. As we all do know, we need three different colors in microblading pigments: Black, Red, and Yellow. And that is exactly how we are going to explain the chemical substance side of the pigments. In addition, of course, some white color is used, which will also be explained at the end of this section. First, let us start with black.
BLACK - When you want to produce black color in pigment for microblading or semi-permanent makeup, you have three most common ways to choose. Each of those has its pros and cons.
Longwood (C16H14O6 or C16H12O6), aka Campeachy wood. This is a purely natural way of getting the black color for the pigment. The wood can be boiled, and the chemical substances extracted from it. Although the pigment or dye that can be extracted from Longwood is natural, one should not make an immediate conclusion that it is entirely safe. Very much depends on the concrete producer because, in the chemical sense, the compound itself would be quite quickly dissolved (in water). To make it stable additional insoluble carriers must be used, and some of those may be less safe. Quite often, Aluminium Hydroxide or Barium Sulfate is used for that purpose - this way, the color remains the same once inserted into the skin. As you can see, the black color of the Longwood tree is organic (containing carbon), and it is also natural. There are artists that have claimed to have problems inserting that sort of pigment inside the skin because of its lightness as well as sometimes, that sort of black has been less stable. However, that is one way to get black.
Iron oxide - CI 77499- (Fe3O4). This is an iron oxide that can actually be found in nature (thus, it is a mineral). As it contains no carbon it is purely inorganic. This substance can actually be extracted from iron ore in nature as a black powder (which might lead you to think that it is a mineral when it comes to pigments). However, nowadays, there is no sense to start extracting Fe3O4 from iron ore because there is a high risk that then the end substance would also contain several heavy metals. Nowadays, it is synthesized in the laboratory as it allows better control over the purity of the end result. This process allows producing Black color by the color index 77499 (CI 77499). It is considered safe (i.e. EWG's Skin Deep database hazard score: fair, score 2-4) and accepted by most cosmetology experts. What has caused some excitement and fuzz is the fact that Fe3O4 has magnetic features, making magnet stick to the pigment bottle and thus causing people to think that such pigments may be harmful (or may contain heavy metals - concepts that are irrational to anyone familiar with chemistry and production of pigments). Although Fe3O4 can affect magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in large quantities, it has never had practical effects with the amounts inserted into the skin with microblading. Though it must be added that in the ancient past actual iron ore was used to make Fe3O4 - CI 77499 color, and then, depending on the source of mining and a concrete batch, the end result may have contained other metals. However, nowadays, this component is obviously synthesized, which means making such claims (that it would be impossible to control the number of heavy metals impossible in this substance) misleading and false by many experts.
Carbon - CI 77266.- (C). Many pigments nowadays contain pure (over 97%) carbon for their black color. Basically, it is the same substance that can be found in ash or soot; however, when it comes to the pigment industry, it is used also in nano-form. This allows the carbon particles to be really small (giving it a variety of advantages). The Colour Index code of this black is CI 77266. Several tests on animals have proven that it causes no irritation (when applied for 24h onto the skin of New Zealand white rabbit under patches that prevented air to get in contact with the substance, no cutaneous reactions were produced, when inserted into the eyes of rabbits also it was found that it is not irritating). Although the substance itself CI 77266 is more toxic than Iron oxide-based black (CI 77499) as its EWG's Skin Deep Database hazard score is 5) it has been proven with a large amount of other inhalation, mutation, and tumor tests on animals (rats, mice, hamsters, etc) that the toxicity level stay below the EU max norms. Thus it can be used. Leaving aside extensive animal testing, the substance itself is good and stable. It stays in the skin longer compared to Fe3O4 or Longwood-based blacks.
That was the information about blacks. When it comes to other colors, such as red and yellow the situation and choices are somewhat more simple.
RED AND YELLOW - When it comes to red and yellow, there are even fewer possible choices when putting together an efficient and working pigment formula in case one does not want to use toxic heavy metals. Basically, the only most common substance for those is iron oxide.
Red: Iron oxide - CI 77491 - (Fe2O3) is a substance that is considered to be a safe substance to be used in various cosmetic products. In nature, it is just rust. If Iron oxide is used for the red color, one can be sure that this is the substance. A powder of such ferric oxide is known as red rouge or just rouge. This substance is considered safe according to EU standards. Also, it's EWG's Skin Deep Database hazard score is just 1-2. A positive thing is that the red color from iron oxide is stable, and in practice, there has never been a problem with preserving molecules of this pigment in the skin.
Yellow: Iron oxide - CI 77492 - (Fe2O3) As you can see with the yellow, the chemical formula is the same. However, the difference between getting those two powders (red and yellow) is in hydration phases: α hydration phase produces red, and the β hydration phase produces yellow. This substance is considered safe according to EU standards. Also, it's EWG's Skin Deep Database hazard score is just 1. In practice, we have seen that the yellow color made from iron oxide is also stable in the skin (the body decomposes it before the α hydration red, however, in practice, long after, it has any influence on the actual microblading result). Once again, when it comes to the red and yellow iron oxide, those can well be found in nature - i.e. one of the most known sources for natural yellow Fe2O3 is ochre (which is basically clay). However, one should not lure herself to thinking that microblading pigments are made mining clay somewhere. Nowadays, the substance Fe2O3 is achieved through syntheses in large laboratory complexes.
In the past, there have also been other ways to get red or yellow colors; however, those are not used so widely anymore. Largely because of restrictions on use and sales because of the laws of the European Union and, to some extent, also FDA. Still, let us just take a quick look at those also.
Cinnabar (HgS) - The substance form it can be used in is mercury sulfide. It could be used in pigments to produce a beautiful bright red color. However, as we all do know, Mercury is a toxic heavy metal. Although Cinnabar is a naturally occurring material, the red color it still contains Mercury, often many thousands of times more than it is allowed. Thus in this context, it is rather unnecessary to consider this option further.
Cadmium (CdSO4) - The substance form it can be used in is cadmium sulfide. Although also natural, as we all do know, Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal and thus can not be used under the laws of the EU. Theoretically, it could also be used to produce bright, beautiful yellow. However, as cadmium is a toxic heavy metal, there is no idea in considering that as an option to further produce red or yellow colors.
Azo dyes (R−N=N−R′) - To achieve red (and sometimes yellow) color in some of the tattoo inks (at least not very recently) also, Azo dyes were used: R and R' in its chemical formula being aryl. There are many restrictions regarding the use of Azo dyes because those are considered to be clearly carcinogenic. When it comes to any sort of dye, however, let us not forget that a synthesized dye by itself is soluble, and thus, there always have to be other substances that help to transport this into the skin (and to preserve its state).
Curcuma Longa (C21H20O6) is a completely natural yellow powder that can be extracted from the Turmeric plant. It has been used to die clothes, foods, and medications. It is safe to say that this substance is harmless to the body when inserted in the process of microblading. We have used pigments in which the yellow color has been achieved that way. However, all that we have had a chance to get familiar with have shown really weak persistence in the skin.
Berries - This is not a joke. There are nature-loving producers that have tried to use different berries to produce red color in pigments. However, all the pigments we have had a chance to come in contact with have been temporary and rather unstable. Obviously, there may be ways to achieve more stable, totally natural red colors, and depending on the producer, such substances may be useful and stable. Still, there is no practical reason to drop the stable and harmless Fe2O3. Now, let us look into the color itself. As we all do know, we need three different colors in microblading pigments: Black, Red, and Yellow.
HEAVY METALS
This material would not be complete if we would not touch the question of heavy metals. When it comes to modern microblading pigments, this is largely a question from the past. As the reader has probably understood, toxic heavy metals are not nearly as common today as they were years ago. First of all, there is the question of which metals can be considered heavy metals, and according to many sources, there are around 100 different definitions. It all depends on whether we approach this question from the discourse of chemistry, physics, metallurgy, jurisdiction, etc. According to all of the above just, lead and mercury could be considered heavy metals according to all of those.
To bring some clarity to this issue and take into account the fact that the business of everyone should meet at least the laws of the specific country a person or a company is operating in, the most comprehensive list comes from EU directives (when it comes to defining heavy metals EU is stricter than FDA and there are also good reasons for that we will not go into in more detail at the moment). According to the EU ResAP (2008)1, which has been the basis of the most restrictive legal standards, the heavy metals the pigment has to be tested against are Arsenic (As), Nickel (Ni), Barium (Ba), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Selenium (Se), Cobalt (Co), Antimony (Sb), Chromium (Cr), Tin (Sn), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Mercury (Hg). However, one has to understand that as testing against heavy metals is just one part of the tests that have to be carried out to sell pigments in the states of the EU, there is no commercial idea whatsoever to even attempt to create pigments for microblading the colors of which would come from heavy metals (or sulfides or oxides or whatever substances have you). That way, the pigments just could not be sold and marketed. Thus all sorts of vendetta theories about somebody wanting to sneak in heavy metal-based pigments into the EU or the USA are often against the nature of the market. The producers of pigments are interested in making money; nowadays, it is far easier to make money with fewer expenses if the pigments do not contain heavy metals. That, with no surprise whatsoever, can also be seen in various chemical studies published about different pigments by producers. Nowadays, at least in all basic colors, there are no toxic heavy metals when it comes to decent producers.
Quite often, pigment labels and, what is even more important, documentation regarding pigments from the producer contains the note: "May contain traces of nickel"” At first, that sort of text may raise an eyebrow and make one think that the pigment contains heavy metals. This is not true and does not mean that the pigment would contain any heavy metals. It is added to labels and other descriptions about pigment because, in factories where pigments are made, the same large containers are used that are also used for making products that contain nickel. Therefore, it is often just considered to be a good policy to mark the fact that "Pigment may contain traces of nickel"” however, chemically, the largest probable amount of any sort of nickel particles is insignificant and by far under the norms that would have to list nickel as an ingredient of the pigment. Thus, there is no need to worry when spotting a specific word - you always need the context.
LEGAL ASPECTS
When it comes to legal aspects (and this is somewhat connected with the topic of heavy metals) most producers have exploited the fact that everything that is not illegal is legal. And when it comes to the modern market economy they should not be blamed for that. As mentioned before to some extent the use of different substances in microblading pigments (and in pigments in general) is regulated by the FDA in the United States of America. However, as most producers of pigments admit, it is not hard at all to meet the standards of the FDA. As mentioned earlier, there are more restrictions in the European Union. The most widely known of those is most definitely EU ResAP (2008)1 and several additions to that 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017. Still, although the list on cancerous substances as well as any sort of aromatic amines, mutagenic, reprotoxic and sensitising properties of substances, Dyestuffs, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and Benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) substances is long and scary at the first glance, when it comes to actual substances needed to make microblading pigments none of that really has too much of an effect in practice because it is either not needed nor economically viable to use such substances anyway. The member states of EU are allowed of course to set stricter regulations, however, it has not been practiced too often, allegedly except for Swedish fiscal officials restricting the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (that have been used in the liquid carriers of some pigments).
MARKETING ASPECTS
When it comes to microblading pigments, there is probably no other field of modern-day cosmetics where so many resources and effort were put into sales and marketing. And it can be well understood because, as mentioned at the beginning of this analysis, we tend to be gullible and easily scared once we do not know too much about a certain field. It has been proven, for example, that people react immediately to words that are loaded with emotional influence, such as "cancer," animal testing," heavy metals," discovery," death," natural,"” "vegan," and so on. When it comes to marketing, using everything that is not illegal should also be considered normal because we live in the age of the flow of never-ending marketing messages, and one has to differ from the others to get attention. However, two marketing strategies should be considered rather questionable when it comes to selling pigments. Here is just a few-word description of those.
Presenting obvious facts as achievements. Many producers present obvious facts, i.e. a fact that they do not break the law, as an achievement. For example, they say that their pigments meet all EU ResAP (2008)1 standards or that all heavy metals in their pigments are under limits set by the EU. Well, that should be considered elementary if a producer is interested in selling their products. In addition to that, there have been claims regarding the pigments not containing Azo-dyes, for example. Just as a thought exercise one should think for a second about what would be the actual opposite of this claim - pigments containing azo-dyes, which in most cases would make selling and marketing those to be illegal because such colors in the chemical sense can be compared to ordinary paints painting industry produces for constructors.
Making pseudoscience out of creating pigments. We all know that selling pigments is a marketing play, and sometimes it just needs to be explained why the profit margin of such products is over 1000%. The easiest way for that is to lead people to believe that there has been extensive scientific research behind creating such pigments. In case it was true, everyone that has ever functioned in the world of business knows that discoveries of that kind should most definitely be patented, thus making such proprietary. However, there are no such patents nor anything proprietary regarding such pigments. There are only so many ways to mix the components; if one has not patented anything, then it is on the public domain. It is just a marketing play where scientific terminology is used to make the client think that there has been an enormous investment in the scientific production of such pigments carried out. It reminds to a large extent George Clooney promoting several medicines in doctors' clothing after starring in the series E.R. - it all looks good, believable, and highly scientific, and although it has no connection with actual reality, people will buy it.
Presenting alternative truths (simply lying). When it comes to marketing, it is simply not polite to make statements that can not be based on facts or that presuppose some god-view kind of knowledge about the numbers. I.e is not nice to say that one owns a certain percentage of the market if one does not know the market size; it is not plausible to claim to say that a certain kind of pigment stays inside the skin the longest if one does not know the overall number of procedures carried out with such pigment, a certain percentage of results of the procedures have to be corrected if one does not have the factual amount of procedures carried out, etc. Concerning that, we also suggest removing any sort of references that something is 100% natural because that is simply very, very far-fetched, and when it comes to professional chemists - sounds insane.
In addition to that, it is more and more popular, depending on the country, to stress the vegan aspect of pigments. To a certain degree, that can also be considered manipulative and misleading. Whilst many animals have been smeared and killed during the process of developing the components that are used in the pigments if the final result does not contain substances derived from animals or is not additionally tested on animals when it comes to laws in force in the European Union it is safe to say the pigment is vegan and not tested on animals. It can be compared to giving allowing a movie with several devastating scenes to be allowed to see by all audiences if the final cut was made by a very ethical director. That is just life in the modern-day market economy - all that is not illegal when it comes to marketing is legal.
In conclusion, the following ideas should be stressed.
1. There are several good pigments on the market that allow artists to produce excellent results.
2. Nowadays, top quality can be achieved both naturally and through syntheses.
3. Heavy metals should not be used in pigments.
4. Questionable marketing approaches should not be used to scare consumers.
5. No-one should feel bad.
Let us not forget that there is not too much difference what pigment the artist uses if she is not able to put the pigment into the skin. The point of this is simple - it does not matter what sort of acceptable pigment an artist uses if she makes excellent brows and it does not matter what stock of different pigments she buys herself if she is not willing to work hard, practice and constantly develop to beat the competition and get the client.