Veganism is a hot topic around the globe at the moment, as scientists are looking for more sustainable ways to support our ever growing population, and individuals are seeking to lessen their footprint on the Earth and impact on animals lives.
It may actually surprise you just how many products in our everyday lives, outside of food, actually contain animal products. Some products in the tattoo world are naturally vegan, such as many inks which are organic compounds made from plants, metal compounds or man-made materials, however some others do contain animal by-products.
The main aim when creating safe inks is for them to be non-toxic, hypoallergenic and colour fast, in some cases animal by-products produce the best result depending on the style of tattoo being done. Some inks can contain glycerine (a derivative of animal fat) or gelatine which act as stabilisers, or bone char which can be found in traditional style black inks, as the colour comes from charcoal. There are now many safe alternatives such as vegetable fat derived glycerine and plant char used as substitutes with similar quality of results.
Whilst we are not a complete vegan studio, we do offer a “Vegan Experience” for our discerning clients who place a high importance on animal welfare. We have done the research and sourced the finest and highest quality vegan products approved for tattooing as part of the optional vegan experience.
Annie, a vegan client at Authentink Tattoo Studio has returned for several vegan tattoos since first trying out our services last year. She has a mixture of script and pictorial tattoos from different artists in our studio.
“Seven of my tattoos are vegan script messages and pictures, that I want to spread throughout my vegan journey, like a walking vegan billboard” she says.
Annie has been a vegan for three years now and strongly believes that animals should not suffer on any level.
“Animals are not food, slaves or for our entertainment. They are with us, not for us”
Even though some of the products used in tattooing do not necessarily result in the death of an animal, such as the use of lanolin (from sheeps wool) or beeswax (used in many aftercare or tattooing balms) the ethos of a vegan should also exclude products that have come about from animal testing, or even go so far as avoiding products that are otherwise vegan, but supplied by a company that use animal testing on other products.
Annie is now a self confessed tattoo-addict, as her love for tattoos and her morals as a vegan can exist hand in hand at Authentink Tattoo Studio.
“The artists were the best part of the whole experience. They were encouraging and lots of fun” she said “I’ve only just started… definitely more to come”