--- title: "Cremation Tattoo Ink" id: "1922" type: "page" slug: "cremation-tattoo-ink" published_at: "2021-01-15T22:24:37+00:00" modified_at: "2026-06-10T15:10:42+00:00" url: "https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/mixing-tattoo-ink-with-ashes/cremation-tattoo-ink/" markdown_url: "https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/mixing-tattoo-ink-with-ashes/cremation-tattoo-ink.md" excerpt: "Cremation Tattoo Ink Cremation Tattoo Ink: The Story, The Quality, And Why Artists Around The World Use It..." --- # Cremation Tattoo Ink ### Cremation Tattoo Ink: The Story, The Quality, And Why Artists Around The World Use It ## The story behind our ink, where it came from, and why tattooists around the world recommend it. This page is the story behind the ink itself. Where Cremation Ink ® came from, why we make it the way we do, and what makes it the cremation tattoo ink that tattoo artists around the world reach for. If you’re looking for what a cremation tattoo actually is, our [cremation tattoo](https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/mixing-tattoo-ink-with-ashes/cremation-tattoo/) page covers that side. ![cremation ink](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/cremation-ink.jpg) ### What Is Cremation Tattoo Ink? Many people pay homage to a lost loved one by getting a tattoo to commemorate them. A permanent reminder, in their own skin, that the person they’ve lost is still with them. Common designs are the name of the departed, dates of birth and passing, love hearts, portraits, signatures lifted from old cards. Some people dedicate whole areas to a single person, an arm piece built up with elements that bring back happy times with their beloved. There’s more on design ideas across our [tattoo ink with ashes](https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/) silo if you’d like to see what others have done. Wherever you choose to put your commemorative tattoo, the act of having it done is one of the most connecting things a person can do after losing someone they loved. And when the ink used in that tattoo contains a small amount of your loved one’s ashes, it stops being a memory tattoo and becomes a permanent, physical reunion. That’s what cremation tattoo ink is. A high quality tattoo ink with your loved one safely woven through it, ready for your local tattoo artist to use the same as any other professional ink on their shelf. ![cremation ink for tattoos](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cremation-ink-for-tattoos.jpg) ### The Foundation Of Cremation Ink ® Around twenty years ago, a tattoo studio called [Bubblegum Ink](https://bubblegumink.com) , based in Cheshire in the UK, took the first professional step toward developing a technique to incorporate a lost loved one’s ashes into tattoo ink itself. The technique they developed was built around making their own tattoo ink, so the prepared ashes could be matched to the pigment in particle size and sit in the ink as a true part of it, healing like any quality tattoo. Word travelled. International interest and enquiries poured in over the years, and eventually the team made the decision to spin the work out into its own dedicated company, available on a worldwide remote basis. That company is Cremation Ink ®. You can read more about the team and the journey on our [about us page](https://cremationink.com/about-us/) . Today, we supply cremation tattoo ink using techniques refined across more than two decades at the front of this very bespoke field. Cremation Tattoo Ink ® is now used around the globe by tattoo artists who recognise it as the proper way to do an ashes tattoo. But what does it look like in practice for the person ordering? ![The process of placing ashes into tattoo ink](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-process-of-placing-ashes-into-tattoo-ink.jpeg) ### Getting Cremation Tattoo Ink Once you make an order, we send a kit out to you so you can post your loved one’s ashes back to us safely. We only need around a tablespoon’s worth per bottle to work with, and please note any of the ashes you send that aren’t used in the finished ink will be returned to you alongside the bottle. None of your loved one’s ashes go missing. The full step-by-step is also covered on our [putting cremation ashes in ink](https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/putting-cremation-ashes-in-ink/) page. When the ashes arrive with us, one of our experienced technicians is assigned to your order and follows your loved one through every stage of the process. A more detailed write-up sits on our [process page](https://cremationink.com/the-process-of-ashes-into-tattoo-ink/) , but the fundamentals are that we clean, sterilise and refine the ashes, then infuse them into tattoo ink we make ourselves, so the ashes are matched to the pigment in particle size and truly become part of the ink rather than sitting in it as grit. That’s the difference between a real infusion and a studio mix-job. ### Preparing The Ashes The ashes are cleaned, sterilised and refined to a fine, consistent texture, bringing them to a state suitable for going into tattoo ink. Sterilisation runs through multiple stages of the process. The result is a high quality ashes-infused tattoo ink your local artist can use the same way they would any other professional ink. ![cremation tattoo inks](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cremation-tattoo-inks.jpg) ### Our High Quality Ashes-Infused Ink The infused ink is properly high quality, and it’s worth saying why that matters. The director, the founder, and the whole team behind Cremation Ink ® come from the tattooing industry. We use the ink we make. We tattoo with it ourselves at our sister studio. That means our cremation tattoo ink isn’t just safe for you, it’s also genuinely easy and pleasurable for your artist to work with. That dual focus is the reason it’s recommended worldwide. The ink holds a high pigment loading, which means bright, lasting colour that doesn’t wash out a few years down the line. It’s versatile across every aspect of tattooing, including lining, shading and packing solid colour, and can be watered down for soft greys when needed. Once we’ve finished preparing it, we return it to you, ready for your local tattoo artist to use. Each bottle comes with safety data sheets for the artist and peace of mind for you. ![popular tattoos](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/popular-tattoos.jpg) ### Why Tattoo Artists Around The World Recommend It The reason tattoo artists across the globe recommend Cremation Ink ® comes down to a few things they care deeply about. The ink behaves like any other quality professional ink in their machine. No special technique required, no learning curve, no awkward handling. They open the bottle and tattoo you with it. It frees them from the worry of mixing ashes themselves. The specialist preparation has been done off-site in our UK lab, and the ashes are infused into ink we make ourselves so it behaves like any professional bottle. Their job is the bit they love, the tattoo itself. The finished tattoo heals like a normal tattoo, looks bright after healing, and stands up over time. That matters to them as much as it matters to you. Their reputation is on every piece of work that leaves their studio. You can also read more about the safety standards behind the ink on our [ashes into tattoo ink safe](https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/ashes-into-tattoo-ink-safe/) page, and the legal position on our [ashes in tattoo ink is legal](https://cremationink.com/tattoo-ink-with-ashes/ashes-in-tattoo-ink-is-legal/) page. When you feel ready, you can [order your inks here](https://cremationink.com/shop/) . We’ll send out a kit, walk you through it, and look after the rest. Or [contact us](https://cremationink.com/contact-us/) first if you’d like to talk anything through. Your local tattoo artist takes care of the design, your loved one stays with you, for life. ![Cremation Tattoo Ink FAQs](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ashes-tattoo-facts.jpg)Cremation Tattoo Ink FAQs #### What is cremation tattoo ink? Cremation tattoo ink is high quality professional tattoo ink with a small amount of your loved one’s cremation ashes properly infused into it. Cremation Ink ® cleans, sterilises and refines the ashes at our UK lab, then infuses them into ink we make ourselves so they’re matched to the pigment in particle size. The finished bottle ships to you tracked and signed for, and your local tattoo artist uses it like any other quality professional ink. #### Where did Cremation Ink ® come from? The technique was developed around twenty years ago at Bubblegum Ink, a tattoo studio in Cheshire, UK, after a young couple asked if their grandad’s ashes could be incorporated into a memorial tattoo. International interest grew so steadily that the team set up Cremation Ink ® as its own dedicated company to serve clients worldwide, while keeping the same protocols and standards refined in the original studio. #### Can my local tattoo studio just make cremation tattoo ink themselves? Any reputable tattoo studio would never put raw ashes into ink and tattoo them straight into a client. A tattoo studio is not built for the lab work involved in preparing cremation remains, and doing this work in a studio is not safe for the client. Cremation Ink ® was set up as the UK-based specialist that handles this preparation properly, so the bottle that arrives at your local artist has been cleaned, sterilised and properly infused into our pigment before they ever open the lid. #### How much of my loved one’s ashes do you need? About a tablespoon’s worth per bottle of cremation tattoo ink. Anything Cremation Ink ® does not use in the infusion process is returned to you alongside the finished bottle. Each loved one’s ashes are tracked against a unique order code from arrival to return, so nothing goes missing and nothing is wasted. #### Why does cremation tattoo ink need to be prepared by a specialist? Because raw cremation ashes are coarse and unprepared, nothing like the consistency of tattoo pigment, and they haven’t been cleaned or sterilised for use in skin. Tattoo studios aren’t set up for that preparation. They’re brilliant at tattooing, not at lab work. The off-site preparation Cremation Ink ® carries out in our UK facility, including infusing the ashes into ink we make ourselves, is what makes the finished bottle ready to use under the skin. #### Are cremation ashes already sterile when they come back from the crematorium? No. The cremation process is designed to reduce the body to ash, not to produce something ready to go into skin. Everything that happens after the ashes leave the heated chamber (the cooling, collection, milling and bagging) means they still need proper preparation. Cleaning, sterilising and refining the ashes is exactly what Cremation Ink ® was built to do. #### Is the finished cremation tattoo ink safe? Yes. By the time a bottle of Cremation Ink ® reaches your tattoo artist, the ashes have been cleaned, sterilised and refined, then infused into our own high quality pigment. From that point, the tattoo is no more risky than any other quality tattoo. #### What’s in the bottle that arrives at my studio? A high quality professional tattoo ink with your loved one’s ashes properly infused throughout. Suitable for lining, shading, packing solid colour and watering down for soft greys. Each Cremation Ink ® bottle ships with safety data sheets for your artist, so they have full peace of mind alongside their normal studio protocols. #### Does the ink work for every tattoo style? Yes. Cremation Ink ® is built to behave like any quality professional ink your artist already uses, so the bottle works across every style, fine line, traditional, realism, blackwork, watercolour, full colour packs or grey washes. Your artist’s range is in no way limited by using our ink. #### How long does it take to make and deliver? Once your loved one’s ashes arrive at Cremation Ink ®, the finished cremation tattoo ink is usually ready within five to nine days, depending on how busy the lab is. 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