A company that sells tattoos that were meant to disappear within nine to 15 months has come under fire as a swathes of people have said their tattoos wont go away.
Ephemeral Tattoo launched in 2021 and claims to offer the world’s first and only ‘real’ tattoo that doesn’t require a commitment for life.
The company claims to have performed 10,000 tattoos but some people are coming out to report that their tattoos did not fade as they had hoped.
Those disgruntled customers have got together on various social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit, and articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times has shared the stories of people that now regret getting them.
CEO of Ephemeral Tattoo, Jeff Liu, published a public letter clarifying that the company’s tattoos may last longer than a year or 15 months
Another person uploaded an image of what he claimed was an ephemeral tattoo on the back on his calf which was applied 15 months prior. initially the company claimed tattoos would last between nine and 15 months
Earlier this month, as the company continued to come under attack, the CEO Jeff Liu published a public letter clarifying that their tattoos may last longer than a year or 15 months but assured them they would eventually fade entirely.
‘We now expect based on the most popular tattoo design and placement choices that 70 percent of all Ephemerals will disappear in under two years and others longer,’ he said.
Although it may be no consolation for those that got their tattoos back in 2021, Liu also said in the statement that chemical engineers working for the company were constantly revising its ink formulation to result in faster fading.
‘We’ve increased tattoo ink transfer to the skin leading to… shortened tattoo healing times,’ he wrote.
Liu told the New York Times that ‘some customers will just take the initial tag line at face value.’
As of last summer he said the company had ‘started to be more deliberate about how we drive home a message about variability.’
Liu also told the newspaper that ‘a vast majority of our customers are very happy with their tattoos and their fade.’
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Ephemeral marketing materials uploaded to its website in February 2021, viewed using an internet archive, reveal that at the time the company used the tagline: ‘Finally, a tattoo without regrets. Meet ephemeral, ink that lasts a year.’
This TikTok user shared what her tattoo looked like when she first had it applied
In another video a skin doctor, who goes by the name Dr. Dustin Portela, described how he got his tattoo in September 2021. It is pictured here around 15 months after it was applied and remains visible
Krysten Wagner posted a video to TikTok showing an Ephemeral tattoo of a chili pepper on fire behind her ear
Although part of it had faded almost entirely within four months, other parts remained bold
Buried lower down in the page, they wrote: ‘Ephemeral ink consists of particles designed to shrink over time, allowing your body to release them naturally over 9-15 months.’
One TikTok one user, showed images of a floral tattoo on her forearm both when she got it in early 2021 and 17 months later in September 2022. Although the pattern had faded significantly the tattoo was still present.
Another person uploaded an image of what they claimed was an ephemeral tattoo on the back on their calf, which had been applied 15 months prior. The tattoo was still clearly visible and appeared full of detail.
In another video a skin doctor, who went by the name Dr. Dustin Portela, described how he got his tattoo in September 2021. In November last year, 15 months after getting the tattoo, it was still very visible.
Portela gave a number of explanations as to why his tattoo may have lasted longer than had been suggested when he got it. Notably he said its location under his arm and a reduced UV exposure could have cause it to fade slower.
Krysten Wagner posted a video to TikTok showing an Ephemeral tattoo of a chili pepper on fire behind her ear. Although part of it had faded almost entirely within four months, other parts remained bold.
