It’s thought there are 88 million vegans in the world, and while no official studies have been done, we’d be willing to bet there’s a pretty large crossover between vegans and tattoo enthusiasts.

Not just a dietary foible, veganism can cover all aspects of a person’s life, from clothes and make-up to furniture and cleaning products.

Whether you’re vegan yourself or want to cater to vegan customers, these are some of our favourite brands and products with which to stock your tattoo studio!

World Famous Ink

World Famous Ink is dedicated to producing vegan-friendly and cruelty-free inks across hundreds of colours and greywashes, as well as mixing and shading solutions.

Some tattoo inks contain animal products such as glycerine from animal fat, gelatine from hooves, and shellac from beetles. Luckily, World Famous has replaced all of these ingredients with vegan alternatives!

Whether you buy from the classic World Famous Ink line or the EU REACH-compliant Limitless collection, you can be sure that your ink is totally free from animal products and has never been tested on animals.

Kuro Sumi

Inspired by Japanese tattoo artistry, Kuro Sumi and Kuro Sumi Imperial inks are suitable for all kinds of tattoo - but where they really shine is with black and greywashes, as well as the rich reds and golden tones that are so popular in irezumi work.

Some colour inks are more prone to containing animal products than others - one of the worst offenders is black ink, which can be made from charred animal bones. By sticking with a vegan tattoo ink supplier you can be sure there are no dead animals in your inks!

Absolutely everything from Kuro Sumi including its EU REACH-compliant Imperial collection is vegan-friendly, and never tested on animals.

Hustle Butter Deluxe

When Richie Bulldog created his signature solution for before, during and after tattoo sessions, he knew it was important for it to be vegan. While the main focus was on creating a natural product with no man-made chemicals, he also understood that the demand for vegan products would continue to grow.

Artists swear by the Hustle Butter Deluxe formula across its Butter and Bubbles iterations - when we spoke to the brilliant Pierre Bustos, he reckoned that the lack of animal products positively affected the healing process of his tattoos. We can’t make any such claims, but we love that these organic, natural and vegan-friendly products can be used on all of your customers!

Recovery Aftercare

Not all aftercare is created equal, and plenty of it can be found containing animal ingredients. The two most common offenders are lanolin from sheep fat and beeswax, and these prevent vegans from using some of the most well-known aftercare solutions.

But there is another way - Recovery Aftercare has created an entire range of aftercare products including Aftercare Soap, Tea Tree Oil, Tattoo Lotion and its excellent Derm Shield protective bandages. With plenty to choose from on the piercing side as well, you can find most of your aftercare essentials in the Recovery range.

Electrum

Glycerine (or glycerin) is one of those pesky ingredients that show up time and time again in products, but without knowing where the glycerine comes from, you can’t be sure that it’s vegan.

Electrum’s Stencil Primer does contain glycerine, but it is totally vegan and non-toxic, making it a perfect solution for vegan tattoo artists whether they prefer the original gel-based formula or the Gold Standard lotion-based primer.

Dermalize

Another amazing aftercare range with vegan-friendly credentials: all products in the Dermalize Artcare range are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, including Blue Soap, SPF 50 Sunscreen, and Velvet Cream aftercare.

Dermalize also has several different types of tattoo film - its classic in rolls or precut pieces, blackout film which protects tattoos from sun damage, and Phantom, an ultra-thin protective bandage.

ReproFX Spirit Stencil Paper

Here’s something that might blow your mind if you don’t already know - most tattoo stencil paper isn’t vegan, as it contains lanolin, a fat which comes from sheep and other wooly animals.

The range of Spirit transfer paper is totally free of animal products, and it has the Certified Vegan mark to prove it! By replacing the usual lanolin with vegetable waxes, Spirit has created a selection of vegan stencil paper including Hand Draw, Free Hand and Thermal Copier options, all available in standard purple but also in green ink for better visibility on darker skin tones.

What’s more, both the Classic purple and Green options of ReproFX Spirit Stencil Transfer Cream are totally vegan too!

Intenze

Intenze creates 100% vegan and cruelty-free tattoo inks that have never been tested on animals - the company’s founder Mario Barth was so committed to this that he personally tested the company’s original line of inks on himself.

As well as offering a wide range of colours, Intenze produces shading, thinning and cleansing solutions which are free from animal products including glycerine. Plus, since the introduction of EU REACH regulations, Intenze has released an entire new line of fully REACH-compliant inks.  Plus, since the introduction of EU REACH regulations, Intenze has released an entire new line of fully REACH-compliant inks.  

Eternal

Eternal Ink’s range of tattoo inks are proudly free from animal by-products and not tested on animals, making them perfect for use by and for vegans! We stock a huge range of Eternal inks, including their collaborations with tattoo artists and neutral grey washes.

While making your entire setup vegan might be a challenge, there are more and more ways to ensure that you’re inking with high-quality, vegan and cruelty-free products - whether you care about animals or just want to make your studio more inclusive!