Whether you’ve heard your parents tiredly express the permanence of tattoos or aren’t sure if you have to have a particular design on your body for the rest of your life, there may be a surprisingly new option for you. Made to fade tattoos have quickly hit the scene and are taking social media by storm.

Popularized by Tik Tok, made to fade tattoos use biodegradable ink that last between roughly 9-15 months and slowly fades away in the meantime. The body’s own immune system gradually removes the biodegradable ink from one’s skin, hence the name “made to fade”.

Ephemeral Tattoo is one of the largest companies to take on the made to fade tattoos. Their website explains, “Give yourself the freedom to change. Express who you are today – not forever – with a made to fade tattoo. Developed by chemical engineers, our safe, 100% vegan ink fades naturally so you can regret nothing.” Many have expressed that they find this technique innovative and convenient. It gives people the chance to try a tattoo out before getting it permanently on their body or just to see if they like the experience.

The website also explains that this idea has been in the works since 2014 when Ph.D students at NYU Tandon School of Engineering began to investigate an ink that fades. Finally, in 2022 the company has began to do tattoos with this ink. They say that in the future they plan on expanding to larger tattoos and different colored ink as well.

Though there is no news of any of Huntsville’s own tattoo shops offering the made to fade ink quite yet, there are locations popping up in Downtown Houston. If you’re looking for a day trip and fun experience, check out places like Ephemeral Tattoo! It will be incredibly interesting to see how these made to fade tattoos change the industry and society’s views on tattoos in general!