How would you feel if you found out that your tattoo artist has been using illegal ink on you, meaning using ink for the tattoo, that has been deemed potentially harmful by the responsible authorities and therefore banned in your jurisdiction?
In the USA tattoo inks generally are not regulated by the FDA other than being called back when problems arise, meaning action is taken retroactively. They traditionally have seldomly exercised regulatory authority.
In the EU a binding legal framework devised from doctors and scientists has been passed named REACH which also regulates tattoo inks. Inks with potentially harmful ingredients (carcinogenic/allergenic) are banned and there are hefty penalties attached to this which can lead up to closure of the parlour. This is why artists in the EU use so called REACH compliant ink and certain brands make REACH versions of their ink for this market.
As is turns out, many reputable artists use REACH non compliant ink on their clients within the EU. I really don't want to get into a discussion on REACH because only scientific experts in the field can make qualified statements on the veracity of the science behind this framework. The issue is much simpler:
how would you feel if your artists uses illegal ink, ink deemed potentially harmful for use on humans in your jurisdiction? Have you made experience with this? Have you had a discussion with your artist about the inks used and have voiced concern? How do you feel about artists making these type of decisions on your behalf unbeknown to you?
From my experience, the vast majority of clients don't delve into this subject matter and think that the artist is following the legal framework to a T.
This is why I have made this video calling out artists that have much explaining to do and how all this connects to a tattoo ink company with its homebase in the EU, although it is illegal in the EU.