Ephemeral’s ink looks, acts, and is applied just like a conventional tattoo—the only difference is that it can be fully removed by your body’s immune system, making it the perfect balance between a temporary tattoo and a permanent tattoo.

Our ink is biodegradable and is naturally broken down over time by your body and removed from the skin by your body's immune system. Traditional ink particles are too large to be broken down by your body. Our ink is different–but only in ways invisible to the eye–and made-to-fade.

Yes, all Ephemeral tattoos will completely fade away.

Given the physical and chemical nature and known degradation rates of components in our ink, it is impossible for an Ephemeral tattoo to be permanent. As long as there is water present in a tattoo wearer's body, Ephemeral tattoos will break down and will be naturally removed.

That depends on a few things. There are five primary factors at play when talking about your tattoo’s longevity expectations. Some are within your control and some are not. The factors that are in your control are the tattoo’s design (thin vs. thick lines, shading, size), placement (where on your body), and aftercare. The remaining factors, like your skin physiology and the immune system are unique to each individual.

With all these variables at play, we know that 70% of Ephemerals will fade in under 2 years based on the most popular tattoo design and placement choices customers make today. Regardless of where your Ephemeral tattoo falls in this range, rest assured: Your tattoo will completely fade. We guarantee that our tattoos will last at least a year and no more than three or your money back.

Regardless of where your Ephemeral tattoo falls in this range, rest assured knowing that it will fade away.

Everyone’s fade may look a little different. Take a look at our How It Works page to learn more about why and how fade varies and examples of how fade journeys can differ. You can also take a look at the fade journey of this husband and wife who got their tattoos on the exact same day.

The first noticeable attribute of a fading Ephemeral tattoo is a change in ink saturation. This is typically most obvious when you see your Ephemeral going from a dark black to a light gray.

Ephemeral’s ink is composed of medical-grade polymers (the same used in dissolvable stitches), water and dyes.

Simply put, polymers are chains of smaller molecules. The polymers in Ephemeral ink come from FDA-regulated manufacturers of medical devices—that’s what makes the polymers “medical grade.” They’re also biodegradable and bioabsorbable, so after they enter the body, they will gradually break down into carbon dioxide and water and then be removed.

The  dyes in Ephemeral ink are naturally available or FDA-approved for use in cosmetics, food and medical devices. Unlike most permanent tattoo inks, we don’t use metal-based pigments or PPD (paraphenylenediamine) in Ephemeral ink.

Our made-to-fade ink is also vegan, and many of our components are derived from natural plant sources.

Ephemeral ink naturally breaks down and is removed completely by the body. To achieve this, we dedicated the first three years of our research and testing to carefully selecting each material used in our ink. We deliberately:

• Selected materials that break down, in the body, into carbon dioxide and water.

• Selected materials already approved for use by the FDA in other products such medical devices, cosmetics or food.

• Avoided the use of metallic components.

• Avoided the use of known carcinogenic and teratogenic components.

Additionally, while the FDA does not regulate tattoo inks, we voluntarily conducted a rigorous clinical study approved by the Institutional Review Board (a governing body of the FDA) as well as a safety study in partnership with Henry Ford hospital.

Yes, our ink is vegan—we don’t use any animal-derived ingredients or byproducts.

All Ephemeral tattoos are currently available in BLACK ink only. Not only is it the most popular tattoo color, it’s preferred by most tattoo artists and allows fine-line work to stand out.

We are developing Ephemeral color ink (hint: 🔴). It’s a delicate process and takes time, but it’s on the horizon. Sign up for our newsletter in the footer to be the first to hear when new Ephemeral colors become available!