New EU restrictions on coloured tattoo ink are set to come into force within days as the bloc seeks to protect citizens from potentially harmful chemicals.

Some 4,000 substances used in the production of coloured inks and permanent make-up will be limited from 4 January in a move that has put artists across the continent on edge.

While member states approved the rules a year ago, a 12-month transition period was granted to give the industry time to alter its ink recipes.

For two shades in particular, “Pigment Blue 15:3” and “Pigment Green 7”, a 24-month grace period was allowed because they are difficult to substitute.

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Products that contain the newly controlled chemicals in concentrations greater than prescribed will be banned from sale by the sweeping new “Reach” legislation.

Read more: Independent