Pigments for permanent makeup: how a professional chooses them

A professional in the field of permanent makeup knows that the perfect result of the procedure depends on a combination of many factors: competent execution, professional equipment and high-quality pigments .

Unfortunately, today some pigments present unpleasant surprises to specialists - difficulty in application, unstable color, too strong and unpredictable color change after skin restoration, spectral change, allergic reactions. Knowing the composition of pigments and their production processes will help the master make the right choice and avoid many problems.

Let's try to identify the main points in this matter.

1. The pigment consists of a dry coloring matter (pigment itself) and a liquid medium (pigment conductor to the skin). According to the definition of the Dry Color Manufacturers Association (DCMA), a pigment is a durable substance, colored or black and white, of organic or inorganic origin. It has stable physical characteristics and does not dissolve in the environments that surround it.

2. All pigments (dry matter) are divided into organic and inorganic.

inorganic pigments

Inorganic (mineral) pigments used in permanent makeup include iron oxides (Iron Oxid), chromium oxide (Oxid Cromo), titanium dioxide (Titanium Dioxide), ultramarine (Ultramarine), purple (Manganese Violet).

Iron oxides occupy the most important position in the pigment market due to their wide color gamut as well as their durability and non-toxicity. In nature, iron oxides of red-brown, brown, ocher color are found in rocks or sand and are sources of natural pigment, from which dyes for permanent makeup are made. Depending on the heat treatment, iron oxide can be brick red, reddish-brown, ochre-yellow, or black.

Examples of pure (monochrome) pigment from iron oxide (hereinafter - on the example of Biotek brand pigments, Italy): 1) black CI: 77499 - Black Mixing Color; 2) red CI: 77491 - Mineral Red Mixing Color; 3) yellow CI: 492 - Yellow Mixing Color. Mixing these three colors produces the most common brown color, and their percentage allows you to change shades of brown from the color of tea rose to dark chocolate. Sometimes the manufacturer indicates the amount of each pigment in the working palette.

Black color is always used very carefully and exclusively in laboratory conditions. It is not worth mixing it into ready-made pigments on your own, so as not to get a too dark, cold color, which, after the skin is restored, will “go away” into the purple range.

Pure iron oxide red is used to darken pigments applied to the lips. But you should not add it to eyebrow pigments, since red oxide is the most time-resistant. During the period of time when other colors fade and are destroyed under the influence of physiological processes, red remains in place, which leads to an unpleasant pink trace in the eyebrow area.

Yellow - brightens the color and makes it warmer. The ocher-yellow color in eyebrow pigments is very important - in combination with black, it gives an olive tone and levels out the effects of the red pigment. In lip colors, iron oxide yellow gives the pigment a warm peach or caramel tint. It can be used on its own as a corrector for blue and purple brows, after healing, the color will be beige-brown or gray-brown.

The white color of the pigments is titanium dioxide , the most common element currently produced for coloring food and pharmaceutical products (an example of a pure color is titanium dioxide in White Mixing Color and Covered White Mixing Color pigments). White color not only brightens the pigment, but also increases its hiding power, that is, the color of natural skin will show through it less. By adding white (of course in a small amount), you can get soft, natural, pastel colors. Attention: white color is always cold!

Another element, without which the range of pigments for working with eyebrows and eyelids would not be complete, is green chromium oxide CI: 77288. Basically, it is green, like spring grass. An example of pure chromium oxide color is Green Mixing Color; Greenliner. Green color is added to eyebrow colors, it gives the pigment a natural olive tone, especially pronounced in ladies with light brown hair. In addition, it is a natural stabilizer of redness, which can appear in the process of pigment fading. The green color looks very beautiful in permanent make-up of the eyelids, it gives brightness and freshness to the look, especially for older clients. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that if the client has red sclera of the eyes, then the green color can emphasize it (green and red are opposite colors and reinforce each other when they are nearby). But this does not mean that such makeup is not suitable, you just need to highlight the lash line in black or dark gray, and add green on top.

Ultramarine (Ultramarine) CI: 77007 - primary colors: blue, green (aqua) and purple. Used for colored permanent make-up of the eyelids. Bright, juicy colors give the work showiness, individuality and expressiveness.

Manganese Violet CI:77742 - raspberry-pink color, added to lip pigments, gives juiciness and brightness to the paint.

The quality and intensity of the coating that the pigment provides directly depends on the quality of the original, base material. High quality natural pigments are very expensive, so only large manufacturers can produce them. Those who cannot afford it often resort to various tricks. For example, in an attempt to increase the density of the pigment, so-called "cut pigments" or mineral fillers (Mineral Fillers), most often purchased in China, are added to its composition. Among them are calcium carbonate, aluminum silicate, kaolin (white clay), talc, barium oxide, mica, etc. These components increase the volume of the product and reduce its cost, but at the same time reduce its coloring ability. It should be emphasized that all "cut pigments" are white, and it is impossible to determine their presence "by eye".

organic pigments

Organic pigments are of animal and vegetable origin. Their molecules contain carbon. Organic pigments are unstable, easily destroyed and absorbed by the body, and therefore are used to a limited extent in the production of pigments for permanent makeup (the exception is the carbon black pigment; more on that below). But this does not mean that manufacturers have completely abandoned organic pigments. Their bright, saturated colors are very suitable for permanent lip makeup. The problem is that with all the advantages of mineral pigments, the colors that can be obtained with their help are muted, so you can only achieve the brightness and saturation needed in lip colors by adding organic red pigments. In addition, today the chemical industry offers many synthesized components. Of course, not all of them are suitable for creating high-quality permanent makeup paint, but only the purest, free from impurities of heavy metals and aromatic amines. Such pigments are CE marked in Europe and are approved for use in pharmacology, cosmetology and the food industry.

Organic Red CI: 15850 - can be added alone to almost any ready-made lip pigment, it will add brightness to the paint without changing its main color. (An example of a pure organic red pigment is Bright Red).

Separately, I would like to say about the black pigment - this is a mineral pigment that can be obtained from black iron oxide, and organic Carbon Black. The latter is preferable as the brightest and most saturated.

Carbon Black is a black powder consisting of unburned carbon. It can be obtained in the process of combustion of any organic substance or gas. The common name is soot. The fundamental difference between Carbon Black and other organic and inorganic pigments lies in the size of the molecule - it is ten times smaller. Empirically, it was found that the ideal size for a pigment particle is 6 microns, then the color is the most vivid and saturated. The exception, as already mentioned, is Carbon Black (0.1 micron). Because of this feature, the production of black pigment is also different from the rest: it is prepared as a supersaturated solution and is more like a gel in consistency. This pigment is used only in the eye area. Great care must be taken on aging, atonic skin - due to the superfine dispersion, the pigment can enter the vessel that runs along the perimeter of the eye and leave spreading (especially in the outer corner of the eye, where the network of vessels expands and is especially close to the skin surface).

The production of other inorganic pigments has its own distinctive features. Each element of dry inorganic pigment is processed (turned) to obtain an ideal spherical shape. After that, the actual color of the pigment is created by mixing several derivatives. To ensure the greatest density, excess air is removed from the pigment. After that, each finished molecule is coated with a silicone shell that reduces the immune response of the skin, as well as a shell with sunscreen properties. Even the most high-quality and wonderful pigment itself does not enter the skin, it must be delivered there. In this case, a needle serves as a conductor, and the pigment must have the necessary consistency in order to use this conductor. In other words, it must contain a liquid medium.

Several components of this medium are basic and are included in the pigments of all manufacturers: distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and glycerin. Depending on the percentage of the basic elements, paints can be divided into water-alcohol, alcohol and glycerin. Information about this ratio can be found on the label: all components are indicated on it in descending order, that is, the higher the element is in the list of ingredients, the more it is in the preparation (as in pharmaceutical products). Glycerin pigments are considered to be the most convenient in work and providing the most uniform healing of the skin.

In addition to the basic elements, manufacturers add various substances to the formulation that expand the range of pigment properties: castor oil, aloe vera, magnesia, witch hazel extract, etc. There can be up to 20 such additional components. The presence of ingredients useful for the skin improves, for example, the processes of tissue regeneration after procedures and is an additional prevention of herpes.

Pigment Certification

The main manufacturers of pigments today are European, Taiwanese, Chinese and American companies. European legislation in the field of permanent makeup provides for careful control of the production of pigments and each component included in them. Therefore, pigments that have an official "registration" in the European market can be considered guaranteed quality.