Studio Operations

REACH SVHC Pigment Checker

Check tattoo ink and body jewelry ingredients against the ECHA SVHC Candidate List. Paste a full SDS ingredient block for instant EU REACH compliance screening.

Professional Context

Part of Poli International's open-source engineering suite. Built to rigorous industry standards.

View Source on GitHub
Scientific Standard

Learn about the science behind this tool in our technical wiki.

Read Wiki: REACH Regulations
Technical Guide

In-depth documentation, usage instructions, and safety protocols.

📖 View Documentation

Patrick's Perspective

"This tool was born out of frustration. When EU pigment regulations tightened, I watched studios panic over ingredient lists they couldn't interpret. A CAS number means nothing unless you know it maps to a restricted substance. This checker bridges that gap — paste the SDS, get an instant flag. No chemistry degree required."

🖋️

Founder & Piercing Expert

Clinical History Verified

Embed This Tool on Your Website

Paste this snippet anywhere on your site — free to use, no account required.

<iframe
  src="https://poliinternational.com/tools/reach-svhc-checker/index.html"
  width="100%"
  height="800"
  style="border:none;border-radius:12px;"
  loading="lazy"
  title="REACH SVHC Pigment Checker">
</iframe>

Expert Guidance & Science

What is the ECHA SVHC Candidate List and why does it matter for tattoo studios?

The SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) Candidate List is maintained by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under the EU REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. It currently contains over 240 substances identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic (CMR), persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), or endocrine-disrupting. For tattoo studios and jewelry manufacturers, this list is critical because any article containing more than 0.1% w/w of an SVHC triggers mandatory disclosure obligations to customers and the supply chain.

Which SVHC substances are most commonly found in tattoo inks and body jewelry?

In body art products, the highest-risk SVHCs fall into four groups: heavy metals (nickel, cobalt, cadmium, lead — found in alloys and certain pigments); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs (found in black and dark-colored inks derived from carbon black or azo dyes); phthalate plasticizers (DEHP, DBP — occasionally found in flexible packaging and vinyl gloves); and aromatic amines (from azo dye breakdown). EU Regulation 2020/2081 (Annex XVII) specifically restricts many of these in tattoo inks and permanent make-up from 4 January 2022.

How do I use a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to screen for SVHC substances?

Section 3 of a Safety Data Sheet (Composition/Information on Ingredients) lists all hazardous components with their CAS numbers and concentration ranges. To screen for SVHCs, extract the CAS numbers from Section 3 and check each one against the ECHA Candidate List. This tool automates that process — paste the full Section 3 text and it will extract all detectable CAS numbers and ingredient names, flag any matches against the SVHC list, and provide direct links to the ECHA substance registry for verification.

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