"Those fearing permanence but getting excited by tattoos are our target demographic," Sakhai says. Most people who come to Ephemeral are in a specific niche, looking for a tattoo that's made to fade. Once someone chooses their design, it's time for the ink to be applied. Tattoo artists bring iPads to the appointment so the client can experiment with other designs on the fly if need be. "From there, our artists create options to present to a client the day of their appointment," he says. "When a client makes an appointment with Ephemeral, they're prompted to share their design ideas-from a fully fleshed-out concept to certain illustrations that inspire them," Sakhai says. Getting a tattoo at Ephemeral starts where most tattoo ideas start: with the design. Photo: Sarah Rocco The process of creating an Ephemeral tattoo, from top to bottom "Their inspiration reinvigorated us to work harder to realize the vision for a world of limitless self-expression where tattoos can be worn to celebrate our own evolution and change." "Every time we'd talk to friends, family, or strangers about Ephemeral, their eyes would light up: 'I can finally get that tattoo that I've been dreaming about!'" Sakhai says. "Being the first ever to create a made-to-fade ink left us charting a map in uncharted territory, and naturally that comes with many inflection points where we questioned if we'd ever be able to build a sustainable business-let alone create the ink," Sakhai says.īut the light at the end of the tunnel kept them going. In addition to the co-founders personally testing the ink with more than 200 tattoos, Ephemeral also initiated an IRB-approved clinical trial to scientifically validate the safety and efficacy of the ink. Brennal Pierre, developed the ink, which "is made of medical-grade, bioabsorbable, and biocompatible polymers with carefully chosen high-quality pigments that are routinely used in foods, cosmetics, and other products," Sakhai says. The co-founders of Ephemeral met at NYU, and as with many good ideas, the ink was conceived from an idea and brought to life over the course of six years. Photo: Sarah Rocco Where did this magical ink come from? (So, yes, they still hurt.) The time it takes for the ink to fully fade "varies from person to person," Sakhai says, but it's billed as about a year. "Ephemeral tattoo ink particles, in contrast, break down over time and become small enough to be removed by the body." But that's the only difference-trained tattoo artists apply Ephemeral tattoos with "real" tattoo machinery, and the ink is applied by breaking open the skin. "A traditional tattoo uses ink that goes into the…layer just below the outer skin." Your body can't break down traditional tattoo ink, which "clumps together-too large to be removed, your body 'walls off' the area, and the ink stays," Sakhai says. "To understand how Ephemeral ink works, it's helpful to explain what makes permanent tattoos permanent," says Josh Sakhai, a co-founder of the studio. The studio opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in March. At first, your new dolphin on your ankle (JK, JK-unless you're into that kind of thing!) looks exactly like a "real" tattoo, but as the months pass, the ink slowly fades until it disappears. But for others (hi), the idea of committing to a tattoo forever is nerve-racking at best and insurmountable at worst-which means there are plenty of folks out there who love how tattoos look but don't have any themselves.Įven for the most commitment-phobic of us all, there's now an answer to that: Ephemeral Tattoo, the very first tattoo studio that offers tattoos created with ink that fades over the course of a year or so. For some, the commitment of a fresh tattoo is a thrill, and committing to each new image is part of the experience.
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