The Regret Nothing Guarantee
The Regret Nothing Guarantee is here. It’s here because we’re committed to a few things: our customers, innovating the tattoo industry and doing what we say.
Here’s our promise. Amazing made-to-fade tattoos with ink technology you can trust, delivered by experienced artists, to create the tattoo of your dreams.
Read a letter from our CEO Jeff Liu on our learnings that inspired our guarantee.
Tattoos that Last At Least a Year
Our earliest prototypes lasted days, then weeks, and eventually months. Along the way, we heard your feedback on tattoo longevity needing to be commensurate with the price. We’ve increased the vibrancy of our tattoos, meaning they can last longer.
We guarantee a complimentary replacement tattoo if your Ephemeral lasts less than a year.
Maximum Fade Duration
The improvements we made to improve tattoo design quality and placement options resulted in a more varied fade duration for the tattoo wearer. 70% of customers can expect to fade in under two years. While fade times vary, your Ephemeral will 100% fade away.
We promise your money back if your Ephemeral tattoo lasts longer than three years.
Best-in-Class Tattoo Quality
We believe you will love your Ephemeral the moment you leave our studios. If there’s an opportunity to make it even better, whether by adding a small detail or perfecting a line, we’re happy to do so.
We now offer a complimentary touch-up within 60 days of your appointment.
These promises reflect our belief that you’ll love your Ephemeral. Full stop. And that no matter where you fall on the fade range, your tattoo will 100% fade away.
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How does this ink fade on average?
After the tattoo is applied, enjoy your new art at its full vibrancy. After a few months, you may see it starting to fade. Our ink breaks down and is naturally removed from the body at a non-linear rate, which means that the fade may be drastic at first and then appear to be slowing later.
70% of Ephemeral customers can expect their fade to complete in under two years.
How do you measure where you are in your fade?
We use this tool to determine where someone sits in their current fade timeline.
Because of the non-linear reduction rate of the ink, your time in each phase won't be the same as the others in your journey.
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*images are rendered to illustrate tattoo fade stages
Show me an Ephemeral Tattoo at
Your body's natural response to the ink may mean that you are able to remove the ink faster or slower. This paired with the placement and your chosen design will affect your fade timeline.
All of these images are to illustrate the difference between individual journeys in the same time frame.
Show me the same tattoo over time
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General
Ephemeral ink particles are broken down by your body’s immune response and naturally removed with time. Because each individual is unique, the rate at which Ephemeral ink is broken down and removed will vary.
Tattoo design and body placements also impact fade durations. Specifically:
- Shading: Densely shaded tattoos take longer to fade than those with sparse shading and shading overall has the biggest impact on fade times.
- Linework: Fine line tattoos tend to fade faster than tattoos with thicker lines.
- Placements: Tattoos on the wrist tend to fade slower, while tattoos on the rib and sternum area tend to fade faster.
Based on the most popular tattoo design and placements customers make today, we expect 70% of all Ephemerals to fade in under two years.
This applies to our Ephemeral Black ink on placements that we’ve publicly marketed since 2021 (all placements excluding head, genitals, breast, armpit, front of neck, face, feet, fingers, hands, elbows, knees,)
We do make small changes to the current Black Made-To-Fade ink but all iterations of our Made-To-Fade ink are covered by this guarantee.
For big changes that represent step function changes in our product, such as colors and new placements, we will launch with a new set of guarantees specific to that product. For these larger changes we’ll make sure to have a new guarantee that matches our promise to you.
If you paid for your Ephemeral tattoo, this guarantee applies to you.
Lasts a Year
This guarantee begins the day you complete your Ephemeral tattoo appointment. If your tattoo has faded before the 1 year mark, please reach out to book your complimentary tattoo. Our guarantee covers the same design or a different design of equal or lesser value.
Ephemeral tattoos are designed to fade naturally, and as they begin to fade, the tattoo's vibrancy (or darkness) reduces gradually until all the ink in the skin is completely gone.
Once your Ephemeral reaches a vibrancy equal or under a 1, it is no longer discernible to the human eye and therefore “gone”.
We’ve created a tattoo vibrancy guide to help you monitor your Ephemeral fade progress. Ephemeral ink particles will continue to shrink and be removed below this point until they’re completely gone, but we know vibrancy matters the most to you.
Maximum Fade Duration
70% of Ephemerals will fade away in under two years, based on the most popular tattoo design and placement choices customers make today.
The three year maximum fade time is to account for those outside cases in which your tattoo lasts longer due to your unique physiology and biology or tattoo customization choices. We’re confident that in spite of those variables, it’s unlikely an Ephemeral lasts longer than three years, which is why we instituted a money back guarantee.
For the sake of clarity and consistency across our studio teams, yes. For example, if you get your tattoo on Jan 1 of 2023, if it’s not gone by Jan 1 of 2026, let us know by emailing fade@ephemeral.tattoo. Of course, if you are close to the end of the window and have concerns, we’d be happy to do our best to address them.
Ephemeral tattoos fade at a non-linear rate and exact fade times will vary by tattoo design, tattoo placement and by person. Fade durations with more specificity as to how certain tattoo design and body part placements can lead to longer or shorter fade times:
- Shading: Densely shaded tattoos take longer to fade than those with sparse shading and shading overall has the biggest impact on fade times.
- Linework: Fine line tattoos tend to fade faster than tattoos with thicker lines.
- Placements: Tattoos on the wrist tend to fade slower, while tattoos on the rib and sternum area tend to fade faster.
You can tell your tattoo is fading when you notice variability or differences in the line weight which is a sign of the ink breaking down or when your tattoo becomes grayer in color.
Tattoo Quality & Touch Ups
Every tattoo is unique to you and the artist who applies it. As with any artisanal craft, no two tattoos will ever be alike. Line weights or shading choices can vary. Our goal is for you to be confident in every choice your artist makes, but at the end of day, Ephemeral tattoos are for you and if you don’t absolutely love it, just let us know and we’ll make sure you do.
Touch ups are small improvements or modifications to your original tattoo design. With traditional ink you might consider a touch up immediately after getting your tattoo or years later when you want to modify/sharpen lines.
Every tattoo is unique to you and the artist who applies it. As with any artisanal craft, no two tattoos will ever be alike. Line weights or shading choices can vary.
Our goal is for you to be confident in every choice your artist makes, but at the end of day, Ephemeral tattoos are for you and if you don’t absolutely love it, just let us know and we’ll make sure you do.
So if you are unhappy with your lines or want to add a detail that was missed, we’d be happy to provide a “touch up” to your tattoo free of charge within 60 days of your appointment
For Ephemerals, the sweet spot for a touch up is between 30 and 60 days. We prefer to wait 30 days in most cases to allow the skin to heal and no more than 60 days. Adding new design elements after 60 days will result in a tattoo that has different fade rates and will result in a less consistent fade journey.
Email our team at fade@ephemeral.tattoo to begin the conversation.
If you are traveling, unable to visit your original studio, or have any logistical concerns, please reach out to your original location and they can coordinate a time for you.
The fade duration promised by the Regret Nothing Guarantee runs from the time of the touch up, not the original tattoo date.
