Southeast Asia Tattoo Ink Regulation Checker: user guide

What it is for

The tool screens cosmetic ingredient declarations, chemical lists, and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) excerpts against national chemical restriction schedules in Southeast Asia. It matches raw text, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers, and Color Index (CI) designations against official ministerial notifications. For each identified substance, it displays statutory classifications, regulatory hazard reasons, and government gazette citations.

Who it is for

This tool is designed for professional tattoo artists, studio operators, ink manufacturers, and compliance teams operating in or exporting to Southeast Asian markets. It provides immediate regulatory reference data without requiring chemical database subscriptions or manual legal gazette searches.

How to use it

Selecting a national jurisdiction

1. Locate the Select National Jurisdiction dropdown in the header controls.
2. Select the target market, currently displaying Thailand.
3. Review the regulatory scope banner to confirm the governing authority and legal framework.

Screening ink formulations and safety data sheets

1. Click the Pasted SDS / Label Screening tab in the navigation bar.
2. Under Paste SDS Section 3 or Bottle Ingredients, paste your ingredient list or Section 3 SDS text into the input field.
3. Click Screen Against National List to evaluate the input against the active chemical schedule.
4. To reset the form, click Clear Text.
5. Review the summary metrics: Listed Substances Matched, Prohibited Substances, Restricted Substances, Ingredients / Tokens Analyzed, and Unlisted Components.
6. Inspect the detected substances table for chemical designations, CAS numbers, Color Index numbers, match confidence, and statutory citations.

Searching the regulated substances database

1. Click the Verified National Substance List tab in the navigation bar.
2. In Search verified country substances by name, CAS, or CI..., type a chemical name, CAS number, or Color Index code.
3. Click Clear search input to reset the filter.
4. Review the table columns: Chemical Name, CAS Registry Number, Colour Index, Status, and Official Citation.

Inspecting legal frameworks and ministerial instruments

1. Click the Regulatory Instruments & Citations tab in the navigation bar.
2. Review the Primary Sourced Legal Instruments section to examine cited laws and ministerial notifications.
3. Click the link beside Official government portal: to open the regulatory agency portal in a new tab.
4. Read the notes under National Regulator: how Thai cosmetics law relates to tattoo ink, and which colours are permitted.

Embedding the checker into a website

1. Click Embed Widget in the utility bar.
2. In the Embed This National Regulation Checker modal dialog, review the responsive iframe snippet.
3. Click Copy Code to copy the HTML snippet.
4. Click Close to exit the modal.

Adjusting interface language and color theme

1. Use Select Language to choose among eight supported languages.
2. Click Switch to Light Theme or Switch to Dark Theme to adjust contrast for your studio workspace.

What it does not do

• It does not check compliance against European Union chemical restrictions under REACH or Annex XVII. For European requirements, use the EU REACH SVHC Pigment Checker.
• It does not verify compliance with United States FDA rules, 21 CFR color additive certifications, or state regulations. For American market assessments, use the US Tattoo Ink Regulation Checker.
• It does not decode proprietary manufacturer trade names into standardized pigment indexes. To translate brand names into standardized Color Index codes, use the Tattoo Ink Ingredient Decoder.
• It does not test physical ink samples, measure chemical concentrations, or conduct laboratory assays.
• It does not grant government authorization, product registrations, or legal licenses to sell ink.

Where your data lives

All screening computations execute entirely inside your local browser on your device. No ink ingredient lists, pasted SDS texts, clipboard contents, or screening results are transmitted to external servers, remote databases, or third-party analytic services.

Clicking Clear Text resets the input and screening results in memory. Closing the browser tab or clearing site storage removes active session state. The only persistent item stored locally is your preferred interface language under the storage key poli_tools_language.

An export contains only the data you evaluated locally: the local issuance date, the selected national jurisdiction, summary evaluation metrics, and the table of matched chemical entries with legal citations.

Printing and exporting

You can generate a permanent audit document of any screening result directly from your browser:

1. Perform an ingredient check under the Pasted SDS / Label Screening tab.
2. Click Print Record located above the matched substances table.
3. The browser will open its native print preview dialog with clean print styling that hides navigation bars, theme controls, and background elements.
4. Select your local printer for physical records, or choose the PDF export option in your operating system print dialog to save a digital compliance file.

Questions and answers

Is tattoo ink regulated as a cosmetic in Thailand?

We found no Thai list written for tattoo ink, and no published Thai FDA statement on whether a tattoo ink counts as a cosmetic under the Cosmetics Act B.E. 2558. This tool therefore screens against the nearest national reference: the list of substances prohibited in cosmetics. For a particular ink, ask the Thai FDA.

Which colorants does the Thai list prohibit?

The list of substances prohibited in cosmetics (Royal Gazette, 17 May 2016) names, among others, CI 15585 (entry 399), CI 45170 Rhodamine B (entry 396), CI 12075 Pigment Orange 5 (entry 395), CI Solvent Yellow 14, also called Sudan I (entry 1101), and CI 13065 Metanil Yellow (entry 386). The list is written for cosmetics; it does not mention tattoo ink.

What do Prohibited and Restricted mean in the results?

Prohibited means the substance is on the list of substances prohibited in cosmetics. For mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium the list allows a trace in the finished product (1, 20, 5 and 3 ppm); for PPD and hydroquinone it allows the uses another MOPH notification permits, such as hair dye. Restricted is for substances allowed only under conditions; no substance in the current Thai list has it. Common pigments such as carbon black, titanium dioxide and the iron oxides are on Thailand's list of colours permitted in cosmetics, so the tool does not flag them.

Can I paste an entire Safety Data Sheet into the screening tool?

Yes, you can paste the complete composition table or raw text from Section 3 of any Safety Data Sheet directly into the input area. The screening algorithm isolates individual chemical names, Color Index designations, and CAS registry numbers while filtering out extraneous percentages, punctuation, and carrier descriptors.

Does this tool send my ink recipes to Poli International or any third party?

No, the tool operates entirely client-side using JavaScript within your local web browser. Your ingredient data, trade secrets, and text entries never leave your device and are never transmitted across the network.

What does Thai law require of tattoo artists?

A Ministry of Public Health rule published in the Royal Gazette on 2 January 2020 requires tattoo artists to have an annual health check (free of hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis) and to know how to use and dispose of their tools safely. It does not list ink chemicals. Local licences and inspections are run by the local authority: ask yours what it checks.

Does a zero-match screening result certify that an ink is officially approved?

A negative screening result confirms only that none of the specific chemical entries on the active statutory screening list were identified in the text entered. It does not constitute government approval, product registration, or a guarantee that unlisted impurities or microbiological contaminants are absent.

Can this tool evaluate inks against European or American tattoo ink laws?

This tool evaluates formulations strictly against national regulations in Southeast Asia, beginning with Thailand. To evaluate pigments against European restrictions, refer to the EU REACH SVHC Pigment Checker, or use the US Tattoo Ink Regulation Checker for American standards.

Limits

This tool cannot determine what is not disclosed in the text provided. It cannot verify whether an unlisted ingredient is present in the bottle, whether raw pigments contain heavy metal contaminants exceeding trace tolerances, or whether an overseas supplier has inaccurately prepared a Safety Data Sheet.

The software does not conduct laboratory assays, spectrometry, or microbiological culturing. Final determinations regarding product legality, import admissibility, and studio compliance rest exclusively with competent national authorities, such as the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand and municipal public health departments.

Use the tool

Open the Southeast Asia Tattoo Ink Regulation Checker: user guide. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.