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Alert to the country of tattooists: several inks sold in the country are considered dangerous. Some of them contain a lead content higher than the authorized threshold, warns Fraud Control.
Tattoo lovers could quickly become disillusioned. Last Friday, the Fraud Repression Agency (DGCCRF) announced that out of more than thirty products checked, a third were not “not compliant or dangerous“.
Beware of infectious risks
Although tattoos are very fashionable, in France and elsewhere, they must be subject to strict hygiene standards. The latter in fact carry certain potential health risks, such as bacterial or viral infections (HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C). Some people’s skin may also react poorly, leading to irregular healing and/or allergic reactions.
Aware of these risks, the Director General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), Sarah Lacoche, wanted to highlight the non-compliance of certain inks.
“We carried out an investigation involving 34 products and we saw that a third of products were non-compliant or dangerous.“, she explained last Friday, during the presentation of the annual report of this service responsible for consumer protection.
Lead levels above authorized thresholds
She more specifically mentioned certain results “particularly worrying“since some inks presented”a content of lead above the threshold” allowed. In other cases, “lThe products were non-sterile“.
Worrying analyses, which confirm those carried out in April where it was specified that the “black CI 77266 and blue CI 77007 tattoo inks, from the brand FERBER TATTOO INK“, present on the market, were not sterile.
By using it, tattooed people risked serious “infections“.
Inks sold online or in stores
Bad news for tattoo addicts: no sales channel seemed spared by the non-compliance of inks.
To obtain these results, the DGCCRF indeed indicated that it had “carried out samples from importers and wholesalers in the tattoo ink sector, as well as from websites“.
Therefore, anyone wishing to get a tattoo should ensure compliance with health standards and the correct composition of inks before going to a salon.