Disappearing tattoo ink: Making bad tattoos a thing of the past
Do you have a really bad tattoo that you regret every time you see it? You're not alone. Maybe your tattoo artist was inexperienced. Maybe your concept was lame. Either way, you are now branded by a mistake that you wish would just go away. But what if your bad tattoo could just disappear like magic? One startup company is hoping to prevent bad tattoos from becoming permanent. Tattoos that use Ephemeral ink will begin to fade after only a year, eliminating tattoo remorse.
Accordng to TechCrunch: "Ephemeral is a two-part system, involving an ink designed to break down after a year, along with a separate removal solution.
“Tattoo inks today are permanent because of the fact that the dye molecules are too big for your body’s immune system to take away,” explains co-founder Anthony Lam. “By using smaller molecules, we’ve encapsulated them inside this spherical structure that’s big enough that your immune system doesn’t take it away. But when you remove it, it essentially eats away one of the components and the dye molecules are flushed out.”
The product is still being tested, first on cells and now on pigs, given the close genetic similarities between ourselves and our porcine cousins. Ephemeral CEO Seung Shin says the company hopes to have something out around Fall of next year. In the meantime, the company is set to open its seed round on June 1st."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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