Ash Ink

Ash Ink, Also Called Cremation Ink ®

In simple terms, ash ink is tattoo ink with a small amount of professionally processed cremation ashes infused into it. The two names get used interchangeably. We call it Cremation Ink ® because it’s our brand and our trademark, but plenty of people search for it as “ash ink” too, and the product behind both names is the same: a high quality, professionally prepared tattoo ink with your loved one’s ashes safely woven through it.

An experienced tattoo artist uses tattoo ink with ashes like ours because they know it maintains the quality of the tattoo and follows best safety practice. Because we handle the ashes through our own preparation and infusion processes, the artist can be confident there’ll be no issues with the tattoo rejecting, scabbing or struggling to heal.

The whole reason this exists, and the whole reason it works, is that we take care of the technical side off-site. By the time the bottle reaches your studio, the ash ink is ready to go in your artist’s machine, the same way any quality professional ink would. The full safety story is on our ashes into tattoo ink safe page if you want to read further.

Many people use ash ink for tattoos of pets or deceased relatives, in order to feel connected again. The process keeps your loved one with you, in a permanent, physical way, for the rest of your life.

What’s The Process For Ash Ink?

Once you order your chosen colour, we send out a kit so you can send the ashes back to us safely. When the ashes arrive at the lab, we dedicate one of our technicians to your order, and they follow your ashes through every stage from arrival to dispatch.

What you get back from us is:

• An expert service refined over many years
• High quality, vivid inks
• A full colour range
• Experienced staff and care at every step
• A globally recognised trusted service

In short, the heavy metals, chemical residue and medicinal remnants are removed, the ashes go through full sterilisation, and the prepared ash is then properly infused with our high quality pigment to produce a safe ashes-infused tattoo ink. The deeper process detail, written up step by step, is on our putting cremation ashes in ink and our wider process pages.

Once you have your ash ink, we recommend you talk to a few tattooists in your area and find the most experienced artist whose work you genuinely like. That’s the advantage of how we set this up. The ashes are professionally processed by us, and the artist of your choice gets to do the bit they’re brilliant at.

Is An Ash Ink Tattoo Right For Me?

That’s not for us to say, but if you’re reading this far down the page, it’s a strong sign you’ve already made the choice. You’re just looking for the courage to take the next step. That makes sense, given a tattoo is permanent.

We get emails every day from clients all around the world, asking questions and thanking us for making their ash tattoo happen. The thing to hold onto is that a tattoo stays. So having your loved one’s ashes infused into your ash ink, and tattooed into your skin, keeps them with you in a way nothing else really can.

If you or someone close is considering cremation and you still have the chance to talk it through with them, we’d gently encourage you to do that. Talk about memorials. Talk about how they’d like to be remembered. And then make the choice that feels right for you and your family.

Ash Tattoos And Ink

Getting a memorial tattoo infused with your loved one’s ashes is a beautiful way to show your love and a real way to remember someone in a quiet, personal way. Many people cope with deep grief by finding ways to feel connected to the person they’ve lost, and a memorial tattoo made with ash ink is one of the few options that truly keeps a piece of them with you forever.

It works for any loss. There’s a whole page on human ashes in tattoo ink, and one on dog ashes into tattoo ink, if you’d like to read about either side in more depth.

Why Cremation Ink ® Is So Popular

We’ve been working in this very bespoke field for over twenty years and have gained international recognition for the processes and care we bring to every order. Two things sit at the heart of that:

We have systems in place so two sets of ashes can never overlap. Every client’s loved one gets personal, one-at-a-time care, with full accountability through every stage of the process.

We always return every amount of ashes that wasn’t used in the ink. What you send to us, you get back. Either infused into the ash ink, or returned alongside it in the same package.

We always show respect for what we’re handling. Your loved one. That’s a big part of why we have the reputation we do.

• Professional care
• Expert service
• 20+ years of experience
• Created by award-winning tattooists
• A bespoke, personal service
• Respect at every stage
• Dignity in our care

Tattoos made with human ashes are growing in popularity now that Cremation Ink ® operates internationally. We work with clients all over the globe to help them fulfil their wish of having a loved one with them forever.

With death comes a deep disconnection from the person you’ve lost, and for many it’s a sudden, bewildering loss. Understandable, because the bond is something built over years, and when it ends, the grief that follows is real and heavy. That’s why our service appeals to so many people. The only thing that genuinely lasts is a tattoo. Having your lost loved one woven into the ink gives you both a physical reconnection and a mental one, the knowledge that they can’t be taken away from you again.

What If The Ashes Are Too Coarse?

We get this question a lot. People worry they need to grind ashes down themselves before sending them to us. You don’t.

Ashes come in a range of particle sizes depending on the crematorium that handled the body. Some run their ashes through a cremulator that produces a fine, uniform powder. Others leave them a bit coarser. We’re used to dealing with the full range, and our mixing tattoo ink with ashes page explains in a bit more detail why getting the consistency right is so important.

At the lab we use specialist equipment to bring the ashes to the right state for infusion with our pigment, whatever condition they arrive in. Whether what you send us is fine and dusty or slightly coarser, we’ll handle it. There’s nothing to prepare on your end.

Why Ashes Vary In Colour

Over the many years we’ve been doing this, we’ve had every kind of ashes through the lab. Most people imagine ashes as a uniform light grey, but in reality they come in a real spread of colours, usually shaped by the person’s medical history and the cremation conditions. Trace elements that the magnets at the crematorium haven’t picked up sometimes appear too, so don’t be alarmed if you spot anything small in there.

We’ve worked with all of the following ash colours:

• Tinged light grey
• Tinged dark grey
• Tinged pink
• Tinged orange
• Black
• Cream

Whatever your loved one’s ashes look like, it doesn’t change the quality or appearance of the finished ash ink. The colour you choose in the shop is the colour you get on your skin.

Caring For Your Ash Ink Tattoo

We sometimes get asked whether the aftercare is different because the ink contains ashes. The short answer is no. Because the ashes are properly infused into the ink during our process, the finished tattoo heals the same as any other. Standard aftercare from your tattoo artist applies.

If you’ve forgotten what your artist told you, or you want a simple, low-cost option, Bepanthen nappy cream is a long-standing favourite among tattooists. Not Sudocrem, the right one is Bepanthen, and it’s been used to heal tattoos gently and well for years.

Ash Ink Around The World

We get asked, often, if our service is available in other countries. Until a few years ago, we only served the UK market. Demand from overseas picked up so steadily that we expanded our operation to serve the global market, while holding firm to our founding rules. One technician per order. Strict protocols. No exceptions.

We now work with clients in every part of the world, and we’ll continue to. The wish to physically reconnect with a lost loved one is universal, and our service finally lets people from anywhere on the planet do something genuine about it. Before, you’d have an urn on the mantelpiece, a distant reminder. Now, with ash ink from Cremation Ink ®, you can have a part of them with you forever.

The wider context on this is covered on our cremation ashes in tattoo ink page, and if you’d like the legal side specifically, the ashes in tattoo ink is legal page sets out why our position as a reputable third party makes the whole thing work cleanly for clients and studios.

When you feel ready, you can order your inks here. We’ll send out a kit, walk you through it, and look after the rest. Or contact us first if you’d like to talk anything through. Your local tattoo artist takes care of the design, your loved one stays with you, for life.

What is ash ink?

Ash ink is professional tattoo ink with a small amount of your loved one’s cremation ashes infused into it, and it is the simpler name for what Cremation Ink ® makes. The ashes go through full preparation in our UK lab (cleaning, sterilising and matching at a molecular level to our pigment) before being bound into the ink. The finished bottle behaves like any other quality professional tattoo ink, just with your loved one quietly carried inside it.

Is ash ink the same as Cremation Ink ®?

Yes. Cremation Ink ® is the brand and the trademark, “ash ink” is the everyday shorthand many people search for. The product behind both names is the same: a safe, professionally prepared ashes tattoo ink, made in our UK lab, shipped worldwide.

Can a tattoo studio just make ash ink themselves at the appointment?

Any reputable tattoo studio would never put raw cremation ashes into ink at the studio. A tattoo studio is not built for the careful lab work involved in safely preparing cremation remains, and doing this work in a studio is not safe for the client. Cremation Ink ® exists specifically to handle this preparation properly, in a controlled UK lab, so the bottle reaching your local artist is ready to use with no extra risk attached.

How much of my loved one’s ashes do you need for ash ink?

Only about a tablespoon per bottle. The rest stays with you, and any ashes Cremation Ink ® does not use in the infusion process are returned to you alongside the finished bottle. Many of our clients use the remaining ashes for other meaningful tributes such as jewellery or scattering, while still getting the memorial tattoo they wanted.

Do the ashes need to be a specific consistency before I send them?

No. Cremation ashes come back from different crematoriums in different states, ranging from very fine to fairly coarse. Cremation Ink ® works with the full range, and our specialist equipment brings the ashes to the right state for infusion with our pigment at our end. There is nothing for you to prepare or grind down before posting. Send what you have.

Why do ashes look different colours sometimes?

Cremation ashes vary in colour because of the person’s medical history, the cremation conditions, and any trace elements left behind. Cremation Ink ® has seen ashes that are light grey, dark grey, cream, pink-tinged, orange-tinged and black. None of that affects the finished ash ink. The colour you pick from the shop is the colour your artist gets on your skin.

Can my own local tattoo artist use ash ink?

Yes. Cremation Ink ® is designed to behave exactly like any other quality professional tattoo ink, so any good local artist can use it without any special training. They simply pour it into their ink pot and tattoo you with it the same way they would use any other ink on their shelf.

Does an ash ink tattoo need different aftercare?

No. Standard aftercare from your tattoo artist applies, the same as any normal tattoo. Because Cremation Ink ® has properly cleaned, sterilised and infused the ashes into the pigment before the bottle reaches your artist, the tattoo heals just like any other quality tattoo. Bepanthen nappy cream is a long-standing, low-cost favourite among tattooists if you’d like a simple option.

Does Cremation Ink ® ship internationally?

Yes. Cremation Ink ® works with clients in every populated continent, tracked and signed for, wherever you live. The international model is exactly why the service was set up, so families anywhere in the world can have a memorial tattoo done by an artist near them with our prepared ash ink.

How long does ash ink take to make?

Once your loved one’s ashes arrive at Cremation Ink ®, the finished bottle is usually ready within five to nine days, depending on how busy the lab is at the time. We then post it back to you tracked and signed for, anywhere in the world. From there it is simply a matter of booking your local appointment.