PPD - Be Informed For Your Safety
PPD is a commonly used abbreviation for the man made chemical dye known as p-Phenyldiamine,
p-Phenylenedimine, paraPhenyldiamine & paraPhenylenedimine. This dye does in fact stain the
skin black. However it is very dangerous and illegal to use in any country where such safety
legislation regarding cosmetic ingredients exists. It is strictly forbidden for use on the
skin under European Cosmetic (Safety) Regulations. It is also forbidden for use on the skin
by the FDA, in the USA.
It is illegal to use this substance on the skin for good reason. It is classified as an
extremely toxic substance. It is dangerous to have any contact with the skin – it causes
chronic excema, with raised lesions that lead to hyper-pigmentation & hypo-pigmentation.
The more exposure to the product, the more extreme the reactions will be when they eventually
take place. The chemical can also cause blindness, and is extremely harmful if ingested.
It is also a carcinogenic.
People have been hospitalised from exposure to PPD both from direct contact on the skin
from so called ‘Black Henna Tattoos’ and also from hair dyes.
This chemical is one of the coal tar dyes that was originally created for hair dye
manufacture. It is still used in all manner of permanent hair dyes today. There is
apparently no risk of PPD exposure to the skin, as all hair dyes are supplied with gloves
to protect the skin on your hands, and the words ‘avoid contact with scalp’ to protect the
skin on your head from contact with the chemical!
Please note, it is still legal in Europe and the USA to supply PPD in certain percentages
in hair dye products – though given the serious risks involved with exposure we would advise
that you check your hair dye ingredients for any PPD content before use.
How To Spot PPD When It Is Blatantly Being Mis-Sold As A Safe Body Art Service Or Product
Stay Away From Products That:
Stay Away From Any Service Offered Where:
- Claim to be ‘Black Henna’
- Have henna powder + coal tar dyes listed as part of their ingredients.
- Have henna powder + metallic salts listed as part of their ingredients.
- Have any of the names of PPD, as described above, in their ingredient listing.
- Claim to be ‘Black Henna’ and have no ingredients listed
- Advise you to possibly seek medical attention, steroid creme etc… in the ‘rare’ case of an allergic reaction.
- Contain a greyish – purple coloured powder that you need to mix with water.
- Advise you to mix with plastic/wooden utensils, avoiding contact with metals.
If all this information hasn't put you off and you are still considering using a product that contains PPD, then please
click here. This link will take you to a New Scientist Breaking News report about the use of prohibited PPD in body art products. Stay away from PPD, it can seriously damage your health.
- The artist claims to be applying ‘Black Henna’
- The artist advises against working on children.
- The artist advises you that in very ‘rare’ circumstances some people ‘may’ be allergic to the product… and ‘may’ need steroid crème from the doctor/pharmacist
- You can see the colour on the skin underneath the paste is turning black before your eyes
- You can see the artist mixing greyish-purple powder with water and then putting it into an application cone or bottle
- Be extra cautious when the artist is a street vendor in a tourist resort – most skin reactions take place 10-14 days after initial application. So usually the uninformed tourist is already on their way home before the itching starts, hence the irresponsible vendor never has any come back and continues to injure & scar countless more tourists, making money at their physical expense.
- Don’t assume either, that just because an artist is working from a reputable department store, hair salon or beauty salon that their products are safe. A lot of stores operate concessions, and a lot of irresponsible artists have been known to use PPD in these stores. Always check the product out that they are using. Any reputable Temporary Body Artist will show you their product ingredient listing, and will also confirm that……. There Is No Such Thing As Black Henna!