A tattoo artist based in Melbourne Australia has recently caught everyone's attention with his use of UV tattoo ink after posting a recent picture of his work on Tik Tok. By using this ink, when under a UV light the tattoo lights up and creates a mesmerizing glow-in-the-dark effect. You may be thinking, dang that can't be healthy! But surprisingly the ink itself is totally safe, and it's actually been already used by many tattoo artists for about a decade now.
"UV reactive ink is no the same as glow in the dark ink," According to the artist, Jonny Hall. "While they both react to UV they are totally different. Phosphorescent is what makes things glow in the dark... and is definitely not safe for the human body. Fluoroscent however is a natural reaction to UV light. It can be found in minerals, tonic water, and some species of scorpions and frogs. In these cases the black light emits ultraviolet rays which charge atoms and causes them to release fluorescent light. The brand I use is 'non toxic and non hazardous' as stated by the supplier ... 'In almost ten years the ink has been on the market, we have had no bad reactions'.
So imagine hanging out with your friends, and you're at your go-to laser tag place. You're all in the room where you strap on your bulky laser tag vests and watch the safety video you've already seen a million times. UV lights are lit in every direction, and your buddy is freaking out about how cool their white t-shirt looks in the dark. Another one is freaking out about their white shoes glowing blue, but then they see it... it's your new tattoo, and it's glowing like the one that you can see above. That would be pretty crazy right? I personally don't have any tattoos, but this gives me a ton of thoughts about what could be possible.
For more examples, check out Hall's Instagram here!