Tech Talk #46: Titanium Dioxide: importance, risks and removal

Everything you need to know about titanium dioxide in your pigments…

We’ll be looking at the importance, risks and removal of titanium dioxide in cosmetic tattoo pigments, particularly looking at the risks with lip tattoo removal. We previously covered this way back in 2017 with Tech Talk #7, and it just so happens to be our most read topic.

In this revisited for 2025, we will be discussing:

• Rules and regulations
• Issues with titanium dioxide
• Why it is included in PMU pigments
• Titanium dioxide reactions with laser
• Effective removal methods for titanium dioxide

Rules and Regulations:

In 2020, the European Commission classified titanium dioxide as a carcinogen. Whilst many countries highlighted a lack of supporting evidence, the EU banned the chemical as a common food additive in 2022. Currently, titanium dioxide is allowed to and remains a popular ingredient in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and tattoo pigments.

What’s the issue with titanium dioxide?

In powdered form, titanium dioxide is classified as a “Group 2B” carcinogen and possibly carcinogenic to humans through inhalation. With no evidence supporting its risk from skin contact, this chemical is harmless for you or your client during a cosmetic tattoo appointment. 

Why is titanium dioxide important in cosmetic tattooing - especially lips?

Of over 250 organic and inorganic pigments assessed by THink, across a wide range of brands, two-thirds contained some amount of titanium dioxide (for good reason!). A few reasons why titanium is included in PMU pigments:

• It lightens the pigment colour (e.g. a deep red to a pink) and provides opacity
• It provides the solid colour required for an effective lipliner, full lips or 3D effect
• It helps prevent fading and migration of the pigment
• It has an added advantage of being a good UV filter (inbuilt ‘sunscreen’)

Titanium dioxide and laser:

Whilst there is no problem with titanium dioxide, an issue does arise when laser removal is involved… 🤔

When subjected to the intense energy of a laser, the white titanium dioxide in the pigment (both cosmetic and body art pigment) will turn blue-black and prove resistant to removal. This colour is due to conversion to titanium trioxide through a chemical process called reduction that converts the titanium to a different oxidation state (Ti4+ to Ti3+, if you were really interested 🤓). The darkening may be temporary or longer lasting, and the tattoo may or may not fade.

Blue-black lasered lips –  John Hashey

This issue continues to be studied in more detail in relation to body art tattoo removal, and a recent detailed study published in the Archives of Toxicology (Batool A Aljubran et al, March 2025) can be accessed via this link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11968486/

I NEED cosmetic tattoo (PMU) lip removal. What should I do?

When using pigments with titanium dioxide you should let your client know that if they might want removal, laser removal won’t be the best option and is especially painful on the lips. Sure, you don’t want to infer that they might be removed, but it is important that they are informed (we have seen so many people with reactions that had no clue!).

Laser removal won’t be the best option and is especially painful on the lips.

Thankfully, THink Pigment Remover is very effective on removing all colourants and pigment types. You just need to be properly trained and go particularly gently with full lip pigment removals.

If you are interested in THink Pigment Remover Training, we have recently updated our course to include more content, demonstrations, case studies and technician tips! Completing the training now not only provides you essential knowledge for removal treatments but also puts you on the global Map showing THink Certified Technicians!

Learn more about THink Pigment Remover: https://thinkpigmentremover.com/