To: Environmental Protection Authority of New Zealand – Te Mana Rauhī Taiao
From: Bohemian Tattoo Supply and concerned members of Aotearoa’s tattoo community

 
🖋️ Our Position
We are calling on the EPA to adopt sensible, evidence-based regulation of tattoo pigments in Aotearoa New Zealand — a framework that protects public health without harming responsible artists, suppliers, or the wider tattooing industry.

 
🧠 A Professional Perspective
The European Union’s ban on certain tattoo pigments — specifically Green 7 and Blue 15:3 — is, in our view, excessive and lacking solid scientific backing. These pigments are essential base colors used to mix a wide range of other shades including browns, purples, and more.

Rather than improving safety, these bans have:

Disrupted access to long-proven, safe pigments
Created confusion in the industry
Led to an increase in unregulated black-market alternatives, putting public health at even greater risk
 
🇺🇸 A Better Model: The United States
In contrast, the United States has a more practical and proven regulatory approach. With the longest history of pigment manufacturing and testing in the tattoo industry.

📢 Our Recommendations for New Zealand

To protect New Zealanders without harming responsible professionals, we urge the EPA to:

1. Adopt a reasonable, evidence-based regulatory framework similar to that of the United States.
2. Certify high-quality inks that ALREADY comply with either U.S. or E.U. regulations — both systems offer strong safety frameworks. Recognizing both allows for safe, diverse sourcing and respects the preferences of tattoo professionals and clients alike.
3. Crack down on the real danger: unsafe, unregulated imports from online platforms like Temu.

 
⚠️ The Real Hazard: Unregulated Imports
Platforms like Temu are flooding the market with ultra-cheap, unregulated tattoo kits. These products are often:

*Non-sterile
*Poorly labeled or completely lacking ingredient transparency
*Potentially hazardous to public health
*This is not speculation — it’s already happened.

In 2011, after a 20/20 TV program investigation on tattoo kits imports, we discovered a single private Trade Me seller had moved over 1,200 unsafe tattoo kits in just a year. That was over a decade ago. Today, Temu and similar marketplaces have made this issue even worse.

 
✅ What We Stand For
We, the undersigned, support a regulation framework that:

✅ Protects public health through science-based policy
✅ Supports trusted, proven pigment brands used safely worldwide
✅ Prevents dangerous, low-quality imports from reaching our communities
 
✍️ Add Your Voice
If you agree that tattoo regulations should protect New Zealanders without punishing professionals or supporting unsafe alternatives, sign this petition and help us make sure the EPA hears us.

Together, we can ensure that any future regulation is fair, effective, and focused on what truly matters.

🖋 Signed,
Bohemian Tattoo Supply
Tauranga, New Zealand
And the many supporters of responsible tattooing across Aotearoa