Eyebrow tattooing is a common project on the street. It was found that many heavy metals exceeded the standard, and there are many potential risks.

Semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos have become quite popular recently, but after we did some research on the spot, we found that there is a lot of water involved.

Friends who have had their eyebrows tattooed know that eyebrow tattooing uses a special tool to pierce the skin and inject pigment into the space between the epidermis and dermis of the skin, so that the dye can stay in the skin for as long as possible.

Because it is a skin-breaking project and the pigment will remain in the skin for a long time, safety is particularly important.

Eyebrow tattoos have been around for decades, but the pigments used at the time were not up to standard, had high levels of heavy metals, and were prone to fading to red or blue over time.

For example, some people's eyebrows are tattooed like this:

The fading problem has since been alleviated, but safety issues still exist. CCTV has reported that the heavy metal content in eyebrow tattoo pigments exceeded the standard.

There are also cases where eyebrow wounds do not heal for a long time due to the use of inferior dyes. Because the picture is too bloody, we will not post it.

I heard that with the advancement of technology, eyebrow tattoo pigments are no longer easy to change color. Some businesses have also developed some plant-based dyes, which are safer in composition.

So we bought 6 best-selling eyebrow tattoo pigments to test their safety. The specific product information is as follows:

Testing fee 9600 yuan + sample fee 1422 yuan = 11022 yuan

After the test results came out, we were a little shocked. We didn't expect that the eyebrow tattoo industry is so complicated.

1. Actual test results This time we mainly tested the content of heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, nickel, hexavalent chromium) in the pigments.

Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Arsenic Test Results

We tested lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic in cosmetics in accordance with the requirements of the "Technical Specifications for Safety of Cosmetics" (2015 edition).

The measured results are as follows:

Lead and arsenic were detected in all 6 samples, but mercury and cadmium were not detected. The arsenic content of samples 1 and 5 exceeded the limit.

Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds have long been listed as Class 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Chromium, Nickel, Hexavalent Chromium Test Results

Regarding the chromium and nickel content in cosmetics, there are currently no relevant standards in my country. We refer to the views of various countries on the detection of chromium and nickel in cosmetics and make an inference:

Products with nickel content below 10 mg/kg and chromium content below 9.4 mg/kg have low health risks under normal use.

The possibility of introducing hexavalent chromium alone into daily chemical products is very small, and the possibility of detecting it is very small, so it is generally considered to be prohibited from detection.

The measured results are as follows:

In comparison, the chromium and nickel contents of samples 1, 3, and 5 are all a bit high, so please pay attention.

We consulted a senior practitioner in the medical beauty industry, who believes:

Because eyebrow tattoo products need to pierce the skin, the limit requirements for heavy metals should be more stringent than those for makeup products.

But even if we use the comprehensive standards for cosmetics, lead, arsenic, chromium and nickel were still detected in the six types of eyebrow tattoo liquids purchased this time, and the arsenic content of two of them even exceeded the limit.

Could it be that the eyebrow tattoo liquid sold online is unreliable, and the ones used in physical stores are more formal?

We consulted the tattoo practitioners around us and learned that the eyebrow tattoo products used in some physical stores are basically purchased online.

We also made a special on-site undercover visit to an organization with more than 100 chain stores across the country, and learned that the eyebrow tattoo dyes used were purchased centrally by the headquarters, and the store clerks were not very familiar with the specific channels.

However, "the store has eyebrow tattoo projects that cost more than 1,000 yuan, and also eyebrow tattoo projects that cost more than 8,000 yuan," and "the pigments used in different price ranges will definitely have different ingredients."

Our investigation shows that eyebrow tattoo institutions generally do not disclose the brand of pigments they use. At most, they will add adjectives such as plant-based, imported from Germany, or imported from South Korea.

As for the quality of the products used by consumers, it may just depend on luck.

2. The current situation of the tattoo market: a twisted industry

As we mentioned at the beginning, the eyebrow tattoo process requires needle puncture, which is a traumatic procedure that breaks the skin. Logically, such procedures that break the skin should be strictly regulated, just like medical cosmetology.

We found the "Regulations on the Management of Medical Cosmetic Services", and the eyebrow tattoo project is also in line with the regulations:

Medical cosmetology is a traumatic or invasive medical technology method to repair and reshape a person's appearance.

In this regard, some experts and scholars have expressed corresponding views:

However, most of the people who actually engage in eyebrow tattooing projects are street-side beauty shops, such as beauty salons, hair salons, nail salons, etc.

These stores belong to the category of daily beauty salons. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Commerce, they can only provide consumers with non-traumatic and non-invasive makeup modification services on the human surface.

From this point of view, the tattoo industry is really a bit twisted.

Embarrassing product

Not only that, the situation of using products for eyebrow tattooing is also somewhat awkward.

Everyone knows that when it comes to medical cosmetic services, there are strict requirements in terms of products used, qualifications of practitioners, equipment used, planning of service locations, and so on.

According to the "Medical Device Classification Rules" issued by the State Food and Drug Administration, the instruments used for eyebrow tattooing need to invade the skin and should be classified as Class I medical devices that come into contact with the human body.

As for eyebrow tattoo liquid products, they need to invade the skin tissue and obviously do not belong to the category of cosmetics, so the production license is not as simple as a makeup license. Correspondingly, its product requirements should also be more stringent.

The fact is, among the 6 types of eyebrow tattoo pigments we bought, except for one that has English printed all over it, which we found out through pinyin is Yuezhuanghao (yuezhuanghao), the other five are all makeup products without exception.

Some of them meet the standards of skin care lotion, and some meet the standards of lotion.

Even according to the standards for cosmetics, the arsenic content of two products exceeded the limit, and the chromium and nickel content of many products were high, not to mention that they are products that need to penetrate the skin tissue.

We also call on industry experts who are knowledgeable to discuss which category of products eyebrow tattoo and embroidery liquid should be classified into.

If you really want to get an eyebrow tattoo, we have summarized a few things to note:

1. Try to choose a well-known eyebrow tattoo agency, not a street shop. Dad's review recommends that you give priority to agencies with medical beauty qualifications.

2. Ask the institution for some previous eyebrow tattoo cases first to avoid failed cases of seaweed eyebrows.

3. Before getting your eyebrows tattooed, fully understand the qualifications of the business and check whether tattooing is included in the business scope of the business license.

4. Observe whether the eyebrow tattoo tools used by the merchant are disposable and whether the medical device number is marked on the packaging. After all, it is a project that breaks the skin, so please pay attention to this.

Everyone has a loving heart.

The fact that eyebrow tattooing has been popular from more than ten years ago to the present day is enough to show how strong the demand is.

Dad’s Review hopes that everyone can pay attention to the risks behind this type of semi-permanent project and be cautious before pursuing beauty.

We also hope that relevant businesses can make such projects more transparent and open. Only projects based on safety and health can last long term.

References: [1] Zhang Yanyan, Lin Longqiang, Chen Xiaoluan. Monitoring results and health risk assessment of cadmium and mercury in leave-on cosmetics[J]. China Port Science and Technology, 2021(01):92-96.

[2]. Nearly half of South Korean semi-permanent cosmetics are substandard and some contain first-class carcinogens [J]. Guangxi Quality Supervision Herald, 2016(10):18.

[3] Wang Wenzhu, Zhang Yanguo, Yang Chunxiang. Eyebrow embroidery experience after eyebrow surgery[J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Medicine, 2015, 24(06):74-75.

[4] Gao Jie, Lin Maochang, Yang Jing. A brief discussion on the development of eyebrow tattooing technology in my country [J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Cosmetology, 2000(05):36.

[5]https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/ylqx/ylqxjgdt/20150716211401935.html