Shelf life of inks

Tris · 16 Feb 2020

Hi Guys

Was just checking ive read that there is a shelf life on inks after you have opened a new bottle?
Is this true?
I started tattooing over a year ago now and when i started i ordered big bottles.
The ink looks and smells ok and i have used it 2 months back. Do i dump it?

MalligaMallan · 16 Feb 2020

Tris said:
Hi Guys

Was just checking ive read that there is a shelf life on inks after you have opened a new bottle?
Is this true?
I started tattooing over a year ago now and when i started i ordered big bottles.
The ink looks and smells ok and i have used it 2 months back. Do i dump it?

There is a symbol on the bottles with an opened jar, saying 12 months is the limit for an opened bottle.

If you don't have that symbol on your bottles I would be more concerned of the quality of the ink. Maybe cheap China ink from a start kit? Which I in that case wouldn't use on human skin.

TexasPT · 16 Feb 2020

we had this discussion years ago. I had some eternal ink that was out of date so we reached out to eternal. I'm not 100% positive but the consensus was that the ink was fine...just would probably need a little liquid added to get it back to original consistency.

Cyberthrasher · 16 Feb 2020

And if there's any concern, it will always be good for practice. I have a ton of inks from a local friend who cant use expired inks (state laws). Some are unopened and less than a year out, others are in desperate need of witch hazel to get them flowing again.

Tris · 16 Feb 2020

MalligaMallan said:
There is a symbol on the bottles with an opened jar, saying 12 months is the limit for an opened bottle.

If you don't have that symbol on your bottles I would be more concerned of the quality of the ink. Maybe cheap China ink from a kit?

View attachment 22975

Hi
Yes i see that thanks for the info.
I currently use intenze eternal kuro sumi and dynamic inks.
Why doesnt the dynamic black ink have the jar on the bottle? Do u know what the shelf life is for that?

Cyberthrasher706 said:
And if there's any concern, it will always be good for practice. I have a ton of inks from a local friend who cant use expired inks (state laws). Some are unopened and less than a year out, others are in desperate need of witch hazel to get them flowing again.

Sounds good. Its a pity good inks are so exspensive tho ?

marked 4 life · 16 Feb 2020

Apparently, once you open a bottle of ink then bacteria can form, years ago no one bothered about dates, in fact bottles didnt even have expiry dates, now a days if someone catches an infection and you happen to have an out of date ink then your insurance will be void and you could get sued personally.
i use 1/2 oz bottles of Radiant these dats as i can use them way before they go out of date.

MalligaMallan · 16 Feb 2020

Dynamic ink is not for tattooing intentionally even if everybody uses it for that, or at least that's what I've been told. I know you only find it in the drawing compartment at some suppliers therefore too

And hence no need for last date.

Cyberthrasher · 16 Feb 2020

Dynamic should have an expiration date on it, and their products are labeled as tattoo ink. I'd be worried that it might be counterfeit if it's missing the date.

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marked 4 life · 16 Feb 2020

MalligaMallan said:
Dynamic ink is not for tattooing intentionally even if everybody uses it for that, or at least that's what I've been told. I know you only find it in the drawing compartment at some suppliers therefore too And hence no need for last date.

There is some scare mongering regarding Dynamic ink at the moment as it does not conform to europe apparently, is any black ink actually approved for tattooing ?

Cyberthrasher · 16 Feb 2020

marked 4 life said:
There is some scare mongering regarding Dynamic ink at the moment as it does not conform to europe apparently, is any black ink actually approved for tattooing ?

There's a push to in Italy I believe to ban a few key pigments that would effectively put the ink companies out of business there. Intenze is fighting it pretty hard. I forget which pigments but it effects a lot of colors.

soulstare22 · 16 Feb 2020

tattoo ink is just pigment, water, alcohol and sometimes witch hazel. witch hazel is probably the most perishable ingredient, as pigments don't go bad, neither does water or alcohol.

Once u open up the bottle it exposes it to the bacteria and spores in the air, which explains the expiration date. I am curious as to how suitable of an environment tattoo ink is for bacteria and mold growth though...

MalligaMallan · 17 Feb 2020

marked 4 life said:
There is some scare mongering regarding Dynamic ink at the moment as it does not conform to europe apparently, is any black ink actually approved for tattooing ?

No, someone on here said this about Dynamic a couple of years ago.

Why would black ink be so bad? Most black inks contains carbon.

MalligaMallan · 17 Feb 2020

marked 4 life said:
There is some scare mongering regarding Dynamic ink at the moment as it does not conform to europe apparently, is any black ink actually approved for tattooing ?

Okay, I found the link https://helpmetattoo.com/forums/threads/malligamallan-project.8286/post-68618

It was only my supplier who sold it as drawing ink. This was 3 years ago, I have no idea if that has anything to do with any scare mongering you're mentioning though.

So no one on here has said anything about Dynamic being drawing ink! ? Sorry if I'm confusing anyone.

marked 4 life · 17 Feb 2020

The problem with black inks is an ingredient called Phenol which is not on the cosmetic safe list.
many drawing inks used in tattooing contain Phenol such as Talens.

Phenol is used as a preservative and can be found in Listerine, household cleaners, disinfectants, cloraseptic thriat sprays.

pure Phenol and high exposure becomes the problem.

also drawing inks used to contain shellac to assist in the drying on paper and as we all know drawing inks are still used for tattooing today even though it says not suitable on the bottle.
Talens, Pelican, Rotring spring to mind.

troub1edsou1z · 17 Feb 2020

You can pretty much tell if your ink is bad. If it smells bad its bad!! lol
Here's a tip i got from my shop owner. He's an old school biker tattooist and still makes his own inks today...
Get yourself some original Listerine, the yellow stuff not the blue or green. if your inks are out dated and have thickened up or gotten a bit dry, just add a little listerine. That stuff is potent and will kill any germs and bateria also.
I have some inks that are about a year, year and half out of date and I still use them.

Now if your inks have mold or you can smell that they are bad, just toss them and replace that color......

MalligaMallan · 17 Feb 2020

marked 4 life said:
The problem with black inks is an ingredient called Phenol which is not on the cosmetic safe list.
many drawing inks used in tattooing contain Phenol such as Talens.

Phenol is used as a preservative and can be found in Listerine, household cleaners, disinfectants, cloraseptic thriat sprays.

pure Phenol and high exposure becomes the problem.

also drawing inks used to contain shellac to assist in the drying on paper and as we all know drawing inks are still used for tattooing today even though it says not suitable on the bottle.
Talens, Pelican, Rotring spring to mind.

Yeah, but you're only talking about drawing ink. Black tattoo ink usually contains ci77266 which is carbon. Even if I've seen one link where they say it's not recommended for tattooing, I haven't found that much information about carbon being dangerous.

I'm a lot more hesitant to all the heavy metals (not talking about the music ?) in the colour inks.

Tris · 15 Mar 2020

MalligaMallan said:
Dynamic ink is not for tattooing intentionally even if everybody uses it for that, or at least that's what I've been told. I know you only find it in the drawing compartment at some suppliers therefore too And hence no need for last date.

Hi
I order my inks from a genuine tattoo dupply shop in the uk, its listed with a

Cyberthrasher706 said:
Dynamic should have an expiration date on it, and their products are labeled as tattoo ink. I'd be worried that it might be counterfeit if it's missing the date.

About

Our New Look Explained... We are aware of the large volume of counterfeit products on the market. We have updated a few things to try and deter some of this fraudulent activity moving forward. Please see our updated features below as a reference guide to identifying real Dynamic Color from...

dynamiccolor.com

Yes my dynamic ink does have an expiry date on it. But ot didnt have a shelf life time after you open a bottle. I contacted dynamic and they told me i can use it for 12 months after i open it.

A-MAES-N · 5 Dec 2020

I have a bottle of ink brand QUANTUM ASSPHALT TRIPLE BLACK its sealed never been open it says BEST BEFORE 10/2020 AN SAYS USE WITHIN 12 MONTHS AFTER OPENING...is it ok to use I have no money to buy new ink ...thank you

A-MAES-N · 5 Dec 2020

MalligaMallan said:
Yeah, but you're only talking about drawing ink. Black tattoo ink usually contains ci77266 which is carbon. Even if I've seen one link where they say it's not recommended for tattooing, I haven't found that much information about carbon being dangerous.

I'm a lot more hesitant to all the heavy metals (not talking about the music ?) in the colour inks.

Hi Beautiful how are you an your tattooing going?

ClaraBrady · 16 Dec 2022

Hi there! It's good that you are aware of the shelf life of inks, as it's essential to know and understand when inks should be replaced. In my experience, I've also heard that inks should not be used if they have been open for more than 6 months.

ClaraBrady · 16 Dec 2022

ClaraBrady said:
Hi there! It's good that you are aware of the shelf life of inks, as it's essential to know and understand when inks should be replaced. In my experience, I've also heard that inks should not be used if they have been open for more than 6 months.

Since you've been tattooing for over a year, you seem well-versed in the art. Have you ever considered adding some Persian calligraphy or tattoo designs to your repertoire? Here's a nice article you might enjoy about "ho-ho! Advertising is not tolerated without consent of these forums' owner!!!" These designs are pretty intricate, so that they could add a unique touch to your artwork! Persian ink is made from soot and carbon and is believed to have been invented in the 10th century. It's incredible to think about how long this art form has been around!

steve mcc · 21 Dec 2022

MalligaMallan said:
There is a symbol on the bottles with an opened jar, saying 12 months is the limit for an opened bottle.

If you don't have that symbol on your bottles I would be more concerned of the quality of the ink. Maybe cheap China ink from a start kit? Which I in that case wouldn't use on human skin.

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dont use this most inks have an expire date on when opened will be good for 2 years

Glowtide · 23 Dec 2022

All reputable ink brands have expiration dates on their products and should be followed. Once expired it should not be used on human skin.
Keep them for practice skins. They always come in handy.

Shelf life of inks

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