05/13/2026
A little PMU pigment chemistry discussion for my fellow formulation nerds.
Recently, I mixed two pigments from different manufacturers and observed what appears to be seperation within the pigment suspension.
What was interesting is that both pigments independently are completely stable before mixing, yet once combined, the suspension visibly destabilized and began separating.
This is an important reminder that a product can be well formulated on its own and still become incompatible when mixed with another manufacturer’s product.
In cosmetic tattooing, we often focus heavily on color theory, undertones, healed results, and retention — but there is also quite a bit of chemistry happening behind the scenes in the vehicle/base itself.
Different pigment lines may utilize different:
• carrier solutions
• dispersants
• surfactants
• stabilizers
• preservatives
• viscosity agents
• pH balances
When two systems are combined, those ingredients can occasionally interact in ways that destabilize the suspension. This can lead to flocculation, precipitation, coagulation, or phase separation of the pigment particles.
That does NOT automatically mean either pigment is “bad,” contaminated, unsafe, or poorly manufactured. In fact, this can occur between highly reputable products simply because the formulations were engineered differently and not necessarily designed to be intermixed.
As artists, many of us custom-mix regularly to achieve very specific target tones, and there is absolutely artistry in that. But moments like this are a good reminder that pigment chemistry is more complex than “if the colors look good together, they must behave well together.”
It’s one of the reasons patch testing, observation, consistency checks, and understanding your products deeply matters so much in this industry.
This is a fun example of formulation science meeting artistry!