#Do ephemeral tattoos fade how to
#Do ephemeral tattoos fade professional

Actors have even come in for tattoos specifically for their roles. Other customers have come into the studio to try out a design before they commit to it forever. Messinger can see tattoos becoming temporary trends. “The Y2K/’90s resurgence is back, so people are getting lower back tattoos, and maybe you don’t want that forever.”

#Do ephemeral tattoos fade how to

“People have been really thinking about how to use the ink in different ways,” she said. Messinger attributes a lot of Ephemeral’s growing versatility to their clients. (Photo by Jasmine Shiffer) (Photo by Jasmine Shiffer) “A year ago, I don’t know if we could’ve done this.” Some ideas for tattoo designs, above and below, that clients might find interesting. We only have black right now,” Messinger said, pointing out a particularly intricate ephemeral tattoo of hers. “We’re constantly testing new types, different colors. The ephemeral ink has continued to improve from year to year. Using their hours in the lab, they started to work on a new disappearing tattoo ink, testing it on themselves at first. None of them had tattoos for a variety of reasons - family, religion, ambivalence - and they began to wonder why tattoos had to last forever. “And it was that much easier to say, ‘O.K., I can do this’ and not have the guilt.”Įphemeral Tattoo got its start in pursuit of that peace of mind in 2014, with Brennal Pierrre, Vandan Shah and Joshua Sakhai, three students at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. Kimbell worked with the tattoo artist on the design: two bubbling glasses of champagne, clinking on her wrist. “They were just so nice and so accommodating.” A tattoo table at Ephemeral Tattoo. “I was asking questions, and then before you knew it, I got a tattoo,” she said, laughing. “Then we were in L.A., I think it was in August,” Kimbell said.ĭriving by, they passed the Los Angeles Ephemeral location and stopped in to take a look.

But when her daughter came home from college with an ephemeral tattoo from the Williamsburg studio, she was intrigued. Judaism forbids tattoos, which had held her back, along with doubts about what tattoo she would get. “I’m 59,” Kimbell explained, “and Jewish.” Creating an ephemeral tattoo. Sara Kimbell, who lives in Greenwich Village, had been toying with the idea of a tattoo for a while when she heard about Ephemeral. “With Ephemeral, the particles are smaller and they break down over time.”įor many who’ve been on the fence about getting a tattoo, this is a game changer. “When you get a permanent tattoo, the ink has really big particles and it just sits in your skin,” she explained.

The ink is still applied with a needle, but it sits closer to the surface. “So we’re rapidly expanding.”Īccording to Messinger, the company’s specialty ink is made with vegan, biodegradable and bioabsorbable ingredients, all F.D.A.-approved. “The only place to get an ephemeral tattoo is at one of our studios,” Messinger said. Already, the company has expanded to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston, with another location coming soon in Miami.

#Do ephemeral tattoos fade professional

It’s a sleek, modern studio, with a professional staff to match. The first Ephemeral location, at 111 North Fifth St., in Williamsburg, opened last year. “We give people an opportunity to participate in tattoo culture without having to commit to it forever,” said Kate Messinger, head of content at Ephemeral Tattoo. Their special ink formula breaks down naturally in the body, and in nine to 15 months, your ephemeral tattoo is gone. But at Ephemeral Tattoo in Brooklyn, tattoos are made to fade. BY JASMINE SHIFFER | For 12,000 years of body art history, tattoos have been, by definition, permanent.