What to know
- New UV tattoo inks are regulated and safer than those from the early 2000s.
- These tattoos appear colourful by day and glow under UV light—perfect for nightlife.
- Aftercare is similar to regular tattoos; artists recommend fragrance-free products and sun protection.
In the early 2000s, getting a UV tattoo instantly made you and your ink the centre of attention in any nightclub. Today, the trend is experiencing a vibrant comeback.
UV tattoos use reactive ink that glows vividly when exposed to UV lighting. During the day, it can show some colour, but under a blacklight, it’s a whole other vibe. While UV tattoos were heavily stigmatized for being considered unsafe in the 2000s, people today are nostalgic, and with new, safer ink, UV tattoos have made a comeback.
Now Toronto got a UV tattoo to see if they’re worth the hype.
So, what happens before getting the tattoo?
The pre-experience means first choosing a design. As a very indecisive person, I sent the tattoo artist some Pinterest ideas and gave them the freedom to create a custom design based on them.
I sent ideas of butterflies, a moon, and stars, and the artist combined them into one design.
Together, we came up with placement ideas and concluded that the shoulder was the best spot.
What happens at the tattoo appointment?
I met with the tattoo artist, Angel Han, who showed me the stencil on their iPad, discussed colour ideas, and said they envisioned the piece in regular ink as well, not just as a standalone UV tattoo.
So, the butterfly’s outline is black, combining it with UV colour inside for shading, and the moon in colour, too.
Han printed three sizes for me to test. We tried the bigger one, but it would’ve been too big for my shoulder. So, they recommended a medium size to better fit my body’s proportions.
Since the design is smaller, we decided to go with one colour rather than two (which they normally use for tattoos.) The colours offered were pink, blue, orange, purple, green and red. But since pink is my favourite colour, I had to choose that.
After reviewing all the details of the black (regular ink) design outline, it was time to add the UV ink.
Is UV ink safe?
Han has been using UV tattoo ink for five years now and has even used it on themselves, trusting the product’s quality.
“Back in the day, when UV tattoos were making their first rounds, people were not doing it safely; they would find ways to make their own ink, versus now everything is much more regulated, everything has serial numbers now, making everything safer,” they told Now Toronto.
Instead of phosphorus pigments and dyes to make the illumination possible, UV ink now uses different sorts of neon pigments that give the same effect without being toxic.
“Before I started tattooing people, I started tattooing myself, so I do have quite a few UV tattoos… I’ve tattooed on myself to learn and practice. I say this with my whole heart, I would never do something to someone else if I can’t do it on myself,” Han said. “I need to know what it feels like in the skin. I need to know how it heals in the skin. Some of my UV tattoos are over four years old, five years old, and they all take really well. Haven’t seen much fading come back.”
How is it any different than a glow-in-the-dark tattoo?
“If you wear a white T-shirt under black light, that white T-shirt glows. But it’s not actually glowing, right? It’s just reflecting back,” Han explained with the metaphor.
Though UV tattoos don’t have their own light source, they need a black light to sparkle.
On the other hand, glow-in-the-dark tattoos can absorb and emit light.
Getting tattooed with the UV ink
I originally feared it might hurt more, but it didn’t. As someone with 19 tattoos, it’s so cool to have this unique experience.
I love that the pink is visible in the daytime, but under UV light, it stands out and feels complete.
After experiencing the process, is it worth the comeback?
After experiencing the process, I believe the tattoo was absolutely worth it.
What made the experience most memorable was getting a custom UV design and seeing the process unfold step by step.
“Everything I do has to be creative, it has to be innovative, it’s gonna make enough of a ripple in the industry that people are believing in this as a new form of tattooing… There’s truly no competition, because no matter who picks it up, everyone’s tattoo style is so different,” Han shared.
“A little sparkly tattoo is probably very good for people’s mental health, you know what I mean,” they joked.
