Hello Color Packers! Are you planning to try out some new tattoos on clients but unsure as to which tattoo colors to pick. As tricky as a job it can be, tattoo ink selections lingering on the lines of colors shouldn’t be this difficult.
In a nutshell, here are our top 3 picks for the best tattoo colors
Last update on 2024-12-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
In fact, as per a 2019 statistic, 32% of surveyed respondents in the United States picked ‘Mix’ as their preferred undertones. And ‘Mix’ was only next to the top color choice—Black.
Even though you aren’t deep into statistics, color tattoos aren’t that bad—provided you choose one according to the skin tone. In this article, I am going to touch base with the most popular tattoo colors that you, either as a tattoo artist or even a customer should be aware of.
Top 10 Tattoo Colors to Consider While Planning a New Tattoo
Fret not if you see me talking about tattoo colors all too directly. There will be a buying guide right in the end for you to consider. But first, here are the top picks that I have zeroed in on after interviewing some of the best tattoo artists in the concerned space.
Kuro Sumi — Best Overall
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As an artist, you might want to consider this remnant of the Japanese tradition—known for its consistency and natural components. What’s even more exciting is that you can choose from a wide range of color options, like blues, pinks, and greens to suit your skin tone and tattooing expertise.
Kuro Sumi’s tattoos are extremely vivid. Yet, you should not keep the skin exposed for long. If you are looking for the right colors, you are better off considering this amazing brand that deals in almost every shade that you can think of.
As far as the brand highlights are concerned, Kuro Sumi has all the colors that you can think of. Plus, the colors work just great considering the use of natural ingredients. And that’s not it; if you are a person planning to get a tattoo, it is important to check if the artist uses Kuro Sumi colors as that way you can find every option as per the skin tone.
Dynamic Sky Blue — Best Blend
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Hey there, are you interested in tattooing dark skin? Or, do you as an artist, need to work regularly with darker skin tones? In case you are around dark skin surfaces quite a lot, the Dynamic Sky Blue tattoo color is the right choice for you.
This tattoo ink isn’t just for the dark skin individual. Yes, it is perfect for dark skin tones but it can be used to replicate some cool undertones to pair well with a light skin tone. Also, this professional ink is pre-dispersed, making the tattoo colors pop out once the skin heals.
As for the brand highlights, Dynamic lets you choose from a wide range of colored ink options — allowing you to get something as outrageous as green-colored veins with ease. Starting with colored tattoos for medium skin tones to lighter skin tones to darker skin tones, Dynamic has everything sorted for you.
Plus, you can even pick strong colors, light colors, and even darker colors to back the body art that you have in mind. And just so you know, most Dynamic inks work great with black ink options.
World Famous Tattoo Ink — Best for Professionals
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If you are a budding tattoo artist, looking to take inspiration from the best in your field, the World Famous ink set is the one to get. The manufacturing process followed by the company is initiated by keeping the tattoo artists in mind.
The company has been around for over 50 years – focusing on what works and what doesn’t instead of harping about skin tones. But then, as a brand, World Famous isn’t just about the concept. The company produces vegan-safe and non-toxic colors to choose from. Plus, there are options for darker skin and even for someone with a light skin tone.
From the product point of view, there are more than a hundred vibrant shades to work with. Also, you get multiple choices when it comes to a particular color. For instance, blue will have blueish accompaniments to help you design something lighter.
12 Tattoo Ink Color Set Bloodline — Best for Color Quality
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Tattoo less but tattoo right – that is exactly what Bloodline tattoo inks aim to achieve. Boasting the best consistency and pigment quality, inks from Bloodline look great on every individual – dark skin, or pale skin, regardless.
But that’s not why you should consider the bloodline set. The colored ink choices offered by the company are least susceptible to getting exposed and fae off even in sunlight. Yet, the ink resilience doesn’t give you the luxury of heading out in the sunlight immediately after getting inked.
Instead, it means that the contrast effect acquired with Bloodline inks does not wear out as they go deep into the dermis, and manage to stay bright, regardless of the exposure. As compared to other colors from other brands, this is an amazing enhancement to have. But then, their ability to go deep into the dermis makes them hard to get rid of in case you want to undergo laser therapy for getting rid of your tattoo.
Tattoo Ink Radiant Colors — Best for Sensitive Skin
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If you get clients with different skin textures, I would recommend radiant colors as the brand of choice. As a premium ink manufacturer, Radiant Colors takes every texture and tone into consideration. This means they have colors for fair skin, fairer skin, or almost any pale skin color.
Plus, dark skin tone choices are also available. What makes this company unique and capable of catering to different skin tones is the inclusion of cutting-edge technology while manufacturing products. Plus, as a tattoo artist on a budget, you can even pick bottle smaller half-ounce bottles.
If you are a seasoned artist, this ink set lets you market your service using irritant-free, sterilized, and homogenous key ink-specific characteristics. Plus, if you are efficient enough when it comes to making color tattoos and know-how a fresh tattoo feels like, Radiant Colors is certainly worth trying out.
Panthera Ink — Best in terms of Purity
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A tattoo color is no good if it can’t last. Therefore, if you seek dark colors or a color scheme that doesn’t fade out all that easily, Panthera Ink is the brand to go. Known for the best colors, Panthera is one brand that thrives on purity over anything else.
A company based out of Italy, Panthera takes skin complexion issues and skin undertones by the scruff of the neck and provides color choices that complement almost every skin surface. The tech-powered processing methods do not just translate into a colorful tattoo.
Instead, the color tattoos look great, regardless of the skin tone. Be it people with fair skin or darker skin, Panthera ink doesn’t even take the skin’s undertone into consideration. It simply relies on safety and vibrance. Also, Panthera offers quite a few choices, including the Nonnweiler series, which is primarily black—best known for shade and wash tattoos.
Mom’s Millenium — Best for Cooler Undertones
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Even though Mom’s Millenium is one of the go-to skin color brands for pale skin undertones, it also works really well on the darker skin surface – one with more melanin in them. What makes this ink set good enough is the ability to offer a cooler complexion or rather a cooler undertone as compared to some of the other products.
The brand credibility is insane and there are numerous color combinations to choose from, depending on the background and complexion. For instance, someone with a dark complexion might even settle for crimson red, or yellow colors—and this brand does have a place, even for these outrageous shades.
Also, if you want other darker color shades like orange, purple, pink, and even green shades, Mom’s Millenium is the brand to look at. The pricing feels peachy and yes, the 70 ink set also has some lighter shades as well, to contrast the warm undertones.
Starbrite Colors — Best in Dark Skin Tone
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170 colors and counting – Starbirte’s sterilized ink set certainly spoils you for choices. This vegan-safe product has options for every skin color. Also, if you want your color tattoos to be the most consistent, whilst pairing something different like blue undertones with white ink, Starbrite is your guy as there are choices for almost everything.
However, the shades of blue and green offered by Starbrite are my personal favorites as they can offset any amount of melanin by ensuring that the tattoos pop out. The likes of dark blues, standard light blue, royal blue, and green shades make for some bright picks.
Intenze Tattoo Ink — Best in terms of Safety
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Established way back in 1978, Intenze is one company that makes tattooing safer by producing the highest quality color ink sets. If you are an artist known for designing color tattoos, you should give the Intenze kit a try – courtesy of the expansive color scheme, several neutral undertones, and ink selections with higher concentrations for fade-proof tattooing.
Intenze clearly focuses on hygiene while manufacturing. Plus, they have light, dark, and neutral colors to choose from, including the more elusive options like brown, crimson red, purple, pink, yellow, and more. And the color tattoos made using Intenze colors can be removed easily using laser tattoo removal as the tattoo removal process kind of agrees with the color consistency and texture.
Clina Tattoo Colors — Best in terms of Budget
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If you are only looking for a basic yet professional ink set for getting a color tattoo done, the one from Clina is an exciting option. Every good artist would be able to relate to its high saturation, stable color composition, subtle and lighter colors, and ability to help an artist create the best color tattoos.
Plus, Clina set is completely non-toxic and has colors that work really well with skin texture with less melanin. That means Clina ink set is a better bet for pale skin, more so as the colors sit really well in the middle layer of the skin—helping you create the best possible tattoo designs.
Buying Guide to Getting the right colors for your Tattoos
Now that you have looked at some of the best ink choices for getting color tattoos done, here are the factors to keep in mind:
Brand Name
If you plan on picking colors for a new tattoo, it is important to rely on trusted brands like Starbrite, Intenze, and more. The growing trend among artists is to pick the best brands— a process that isn’t as time-consuming as looking for new entrants. Also, tattoos made with reputed colors are easy to maintain and can be prepped with something as standard as an unscented lotion.
Ingredient
A color tattoo is still a scar. Therefore, you need to keep a close eye on the ingredient and quality of color that goes into producing those inks. You do not want to get into a negative space with the healing process and therefore the composition comes across as very important.
Choices
Planning to get color tattoos done! You would need a kit that offers a wide range of color options for every possible tattoo idea, including the elusive yellow, orange, purple, red, and even brown. And it is also important to check for sets that offer multiple variants of the mentioned colors, especially the yellow one.
Consistency
The best brands like World Famous are high on consistency, depending on whether you choose the powder variant or the pre-dispersed ink set. Regardless, pre-dispersed inks produce the best tattoos, especially as they win the consistency game, hands-on.
FAQs — Best Tattoo Colors
Q1. Which colors work best for tattoos?
A1. While there is no fixed color scheme that works well with tattoos, you should always opt for high consistency and bright colors to make the tattoos pop. And as the tattoo is still a scar of sorts, organic ingredients must be present to keep the process minimally invasive and less prone to side effects.
Q2. Should you opt for specific colors for darker skin tones?
A2. Yes, darker skin tones require some bold hues like yellow, orange, and even red to stand out. However, for red as a choice, you can further zero in on crimson and other variants to spice up the tattoos a bit more.
Q3. Are color tattoos more expensive?
A3. Color tattoos do cost a lot more than blacks. However, some shades and blacks with complex designs can match up to the colored picks as well.
Wrap-Up
Best tattoo colors shouldn’t be hard to find after this discourse. Yet to make effective and informed choices, it is important to take a closer look at the buying guide and faqs, before proceeding. Plus, as an artist, if you are serious about color tattoos, the focus should be on safety, aesthetics, and ease of aftercare – not necessarily in the same order.
