Black Tattoo Ink Explained: Pigments, How It's Made and Why Recalls Happen
Black does most of the work in a tattoo shop: lines, solid fills and grey wash. The pigments behind that one word can have different undertones and behavior, and the way they're dispersed changes the finished ink. Making my own inks pushed me to learn those differences instead of treating every black bottle as interchangeable.
How to read a black ink label
The PBk code is the Color Index Generic Name for a black pigment. The CI number is the identifier you're more likely to see in an ingredient list.
Carbon black, PBk 7, and lamp black, PBk 6, both use CI 77266. Bone black, PBk 9, is CI 77267; graphite, PBk 10, is CI 77265.
Iron oxide black, PBk 11, is CI 77499. The perylene blacks PBk 31 and PBk 32 are CI 71132 and CI 71133 respectively.
Carbon black and lamp black share a CI number. They're both carbon, just made differently, so the bottle won't always tell you which one you've got. And the label may not be reliable in the first place, which I cover in why you can't just read the label.
PBk 7: Carbon black (the industry standard)
Furnace carbon black is nearly pure elemental carbon, made by burning heavy oil with limited oxygen and collecting the soot. Its roughly 10 to 100 nanometer particles form chain-like clusters.
Its undertone ranges from neutral to cool. Finer grades can give a deep blue-black and cool grey wash, while coarser grades can lean brown. It is highly opaque and has strong tinting strength, so a little pigment goes a long way.
Most major professional blacks are built around carbon pigment. Dynamic lists CI 77266, and brands such as Eternal, Intenze, Solid Ink, World Famous and Kuro Sumi use carbon-based blacks. Grade, pigment load, dispersion and carrier account for much of the difference in how they work.
Carbon black gives deep saturation and is generally lightfast. Its broad light absorption is useful in laser removal, although the outcome still depends on the tattoo and treatment. The particles also tend to clump, making dispersion important for smooth packing.
Carbon black can carry PAHs from its production process. That is why I want batch testing rather than simply an assurance that the pigment is stable. EU REACH limits have also driven reformulation of some blacks.
PBk 6: Lamp black
Lamp black is soot collected from burning oil or tar in shallow pans, related to the traditional soot used in Japanese sumi ink. It tends toward a cool, blue undertone in grey wash.
Compared with modern furnace grades, it is generally less jet-black and weaker in tinting strength. I associate it with softer, cool greys rather than the deepest solid packing. It shares CI 77266 with carbon black, so that number alone doesn't distinguish the process.
PBk 9: Bone black (ivory black)
Bone black is made by charring animal bones without oxygen. Only about 10 to 20 percent is carbon; much of the rest is calcium phosphate. It gives a warm, brownish black with lower opacity and far less tinting strength than carbon black.
Its animal origin excludes it from vegan formulations, and it is more familiar in fine-art paint than professional tattoo ink. Its softer warm greys come with weaker color strength and possible batch variation.
PBk 11: Iron oxide black
Iron oxide black is synthetic magnetite, Fe3O4. It is opaque, warm and slightly brown, with lower tinting strength than carbon black. Permanent makeup uses it for softer-looking eyeliner and brow shades.
It is lightfast and relatively inexpensive, but it doesn't give carbon black's depth. Iron chemistry can affect its appearance over time and its response to laser treatment. MRI-related sensations have also been reported in some permanent-makeup clients, so the pigment history can matter to a treating clinician.
The rare ones: PBk 10, PBk 31 and PBk 32
PBk 10 (graphite) gives a metallic grey sheen and weak color strength. It's a pencil pigment more than a tattoo pigment.
PBk 31 and PBk 32 (perylene blacks) are organic pigments with a green-black or violet-black cast. They're semi-transparent and very lightfast, and popular in artist paints. You'll rarely see them in tattoo ink, but they explain why some "blacks" mixed from colored pigments lean green or purple in the skin.
Warm vs cool: a quick guide
Lamp black and fine-grade carbon black tend to give the coolest greys. Standard carbon black is more neutral, while iron oxide black is warmer. Bone black has a particularly warm, brownish undertone.
This is why a straight carbon black grey wash heals with a cool, slightly blue cast, and why some artists add a touch of brown or use a warm grey set for softer skin tones in black and grey portraits.
Opacity and strength: a quick guide
Carbon black has the greatest tinting strength and deepest black. Lamp black is a little softer. Iron oxide is opaque but much weaker in tinting strength, and bone black is weaker again. Opacity and strength aren't the same property.
How black tattoo ink is made
Carbon black arrives as a powder made of clusters. Manufacturing has to wet it, break those clusters apart and keep the particles evenly suspended in the carrier.
The premix combines pigment, carrier and dispersant, which helps stop particles from sticking back together. High-shear mixing then breaks down the larger clumps into a more even mixture.
Ultrasonic homogenization uses a metal probe vibrating at around 20,000 times per second. Cavitation bubbles form and collapse, helping break remaining clusters apart. Some manufacturers use bead or roller mills instead, or combine methods.
The viscosity and pigment load are adjusted for the intended ink, and filtration removes oversized material. Bottles are filled, sealed and lot-numbered so the finished batch can be traced.
There's a fuller walkthrough of the whole process in how tattoo ink is actually made.
When the sonicator runs too long
I suspect over-processing can contribute to differences between batches. The following are concerns from my own understanding of dispersion, rather than tested causes of tattoo-ink failures.
Cavitation generates heat. If the temperature rises far enough, it can affect dispersants, volatile carrier ingredients and viscosity. Processing may also reduce particles beyond the intended range.
Newly exposed surfaces need enough dispersant to keep them separated; otherwise the material can re-clump. The probe itself wears, which raises a separate question about metal entering the batch. I would want temperature, size distribution and probe condition recorded before blaming any one of those mechanisms.
None of this has been named as the official cause of a tattoo ink recall that I'm aware of, and none of it has been tested directly. It is my own reasoning from how dispersion works. But when artists swear one batch of their favorite black lines and heals differently than the last, inconsistent dispersion is one of the first things I'd look at. I go into what that feels like at the needle in how ink behaves while you're working.
Nano vs micro: why particle size matters for your health
The particle range in a bottle depends on its pigment and dispersion. Primary particles can also form much larger clusters, so a size result needs the method attached. It isn't enough to call an ink 'nano' or 'micro.'
Dermal macrophages capture pigment and help keep tattoos visible. That doesn't mean every particle stays put: human-tissue research has found smaller pigment in nearby lymph nodes, along with metal-containing material.
In the BfR-led study, skin contained particles up to several micrometres while the matching nodes held material below about 200 nanometres. Size influences movement, but it isn't an absolute cutoff. The BfR also notes transport of larger titanium dioxide and iron oxide pigments.
Nickel, chromium and cobalt were found in the lymph-node work too. A later study identified needle-wear metal, with greater steel abrasion from titanium dioxide ink.
What does that mean for your health? Honestly, nobody fully knows yet. The BfR states plainly that the effects of the different pigments deposited in lymph nodes are unknown so far. Researchers have raised concerns about chronic lymph node enlargement and lifelong exposure, but long-term effects haven't been established. What we do know: the finer and dirtier the ink, the more of it is likely to leave the tattoo. That's an argument for clean, properly dispersed ink from manufacturers who control particle size and test for heavy metals and PAHs. I go deeper into what size does and doesn't explain in do tattoo ink ingredients interact?
Migration through the fat layer: wider than a blowout
Your skin has three layers that matter here: the thin epidermis on top, the dermis where tattoo ink is supposed to sit, and the hypodermis, a layer of fat underneath. A typical blowout happens when ink lands below the dermis and spreads sideways into that fat, leaving a blurry halo along the line.
Ink loaded with ultra-fine particles can make that much worse. Fat tissue is loose and soft compared to the dense collagen of the dermis, so fine particles that reach it can travel far past where a normal blowout would stop. Instead of a fuzzy edge hugging the line, you can get a wide, bruise-like haze that spreads well beyond the design. When a haze spreads that wide, the ink is a prime suspect, not just the artist's depth. And unlike a shaky line, it can't be tattooed over and fixed. Cover-ups and laser are the only real options.
Why lining with the wrong black causes blowouts
Blowouts are mostly about depth: the needle going too deep, the wrong angle, poor stretch, or working thin, delicate skin like the inner arm, ribs and feet. But the ink you line with can push a line over the edge.
Heavy packing black can make an artist slow down, press harder or repeat a line because it doesn't flow as readily. Thin wash can run along the needle channel, especially where the placement is too deep.
I also suspect dispersion can worsen spreading, but that isn't a reason to diagnose a blowout from the ink alone. Depth, angle, stretch and skin condition still need checking.
Lining black vs shading and tribal black
Lining black is made to go in clean in a single pass. It has a balanced, medium consistency that flows steadily off the needle, a high pigment load so the line is fully black the first time, and a carrier that holds the line without bleeding. The goal is a crisp edge with as little trauma to the skin as possible.
Tribal and packing black is built for coverage. These are the thick, heavily loaded blacks (the "triple" and "tribal" blacks) made to be packed into large areas over multiple passes for solid, even saturation.
Shading black and grey wash go the other direction: more carrier and less pigment, so they blend smoothly into soft gradients.
Each one is great at its job, and both packing and shading blacks are the wrong tool for a line. One drags and invites overworking; the other runs. The rule I teach every apprentice: line with lining black, pack with packing black, and shade with something made for shading. If a line keeps blowing out, check your depth first, then check what's in the cap.
How manufacturers kill bacteria
Contamination control has to cover ingredients, processing and the sealed bottle. Sterilization can't compensate for everything that happens before or after it.
Manufacturers start with purified water and tested raw materials, then use a validated process such as gamma or electron-beam irradiation for compatible formulations. Radiation can treat ink in sealed packaging, although the formula still needs checking for changes during treatment.
Carrier ingredients and preservatives can inhibit microbes, but they don't replace sterilization. Controlled filling and sealing help prevent later contamination. Microbiological testing and lot coding let the manufacturer assess the finished batch and trace it if a problem appears.
Autoclaving (high-pressure steam) works for needles and tubes, but it's rarely used on finished ink because heat can wreck the dispersion. That's one more reason irradiation became the standard.
What tattoo ink recalls actually show
In the U.S., the FDA regulates tattoo ink as a cosmetic, and since the 2022 Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), manufacturers have to register their facilities and report serious adverse events.
A review of about two decades of FDA records counted 18 voluntary recalls of tattoo and permanent makeup inks: 14 involved microbial contamination and one an allergic reaction. They weren't confined to a single ink color. The examples below include both recalls and an FDA advisory.
In 2019, FDA flagged contaminated inks including specific Dynamic Color Black lots, Scalp Aesthetics basic blacks and a red from another manufacturer.
In 2024, Sierra Stain LLC recalled three Bloodline water-based pigments, including All Purpose Black, after FDA sampling found high microorganism concentrations. The company later went out of business.
In 2025, FDA advised artists and retailers to stop using Sacred Tattoo Ink's Raven Black and Sunny Daze after surveillance found contamination including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. That was an FDA advisory rather than a company-initiated recall.
Contamination can arise at different points in production, including raw materials, processing, filling or handling. Lot records matter because a familiar brand name doesn't tell you whether the bottle belongs to an affected batch.
What this means when you're picking a black
For linework, use a true lining black. For solid packing, you want a well-dispersed, high-load packing black. For grey wash, the pigment's undertone sets the temperature of your greys. For permanent makeup and very soft work, iron oxide blacks give a gentler, warmer result.
Whatever brand you use, buy from reputable suppliers, check that it's sterile and lot-numbered, keep track of which lots you use on which clients, and check the FDA's recall list now and then.
Sources
Got a black and grey project in mind? Book a consultation at Urban's Tattoo Studio in Arlington, Texas, and I'll walk you through how it'll heal.
