Hi , is there any clear UV ink in the uk that’s safe? I really want to get a face tat but due to my profession it won’t be allowed unless you can’t see it under normal light.

Hi Ana,

we wouldn’t recommend getting a face tattoo if you don’t have a lot of tattoos on other parts of your body. Even a tattoo made with invisible ink could be visible because of the light scars a tattoo can produce. Also, UV ink could change the colour over time and become permanently visible when, for example, being exposed to sunlight (also some white tattoo ink is known to become yellowish over time because of this).

Since you would only see the UV tattoo under black light, and UV ink is much harder to tattoo and therefore the tattoo will be much more expensive, we recommend to think twice about getting a UV tattoo. To make the UV tattoo really visible you need to be in dark environment and the black light has to be close and intense. Better spend the money on a nice tattoo in a place that you can hide when it’s not appropriate to show it (although we think that a good tattoo should be appropriate to show anywhere).

If you still want to know which UV tattoo ink is safe and how to spot a reputable ink manufacturer, please check out our Advice Hub article on ‘The Best Tattoo Inks 2020’.

Barber DTS