Projects

Advancing the industry

through unified standards and responsible innovation.

TIMA convenes leading researchers, practitioners, and regulatory bodies to codify benchmark criteria, establish empirical safety definitions, and guide accountable market evolution.

PROJECT 01 · RESEARCH

The Tattoo Is Not
an Injection

TIMA formally disputes "injection" terminology as scientifically inaccurate. Tattoo machines create shallow mechanical punctures that let pigment disperse by capillary action — not forced injection.

Our position is anchored in peer-reviewed work (Noble et al., Acta Biomaterialia, 2025) and a second, independent medical-dictionary authority.

Accurate terminology is the foundation of fair, science-based standards that don't impose medical frameworks on body art.

View Technical Working Paper

Documentary photograph of precise professional tattoo application and sterile instruments for body tattooing.

PROJECT 02 · WORKING PAPER

The 50-State Patchwork

& a Common Floor

One country, fifty-one rulebooks — no two alike. Training requirements run from 80 hours (Utah) to 2,400 (Georgia); eight states have no oversight at all; one lets a town ban tattooing outright.

Our working paper maps every jurisdiction and proposes a model floor any state or county can adopt: one definition, a real training floor, portable credentials, and baseline safety and consent — a floor, never a ceiling, that preserves local authority to go further.

PROJECT 03 · DEFINITIONS

One Statutory Definition of Tattooing

Nine jurisdictions use five different verbs in statute; standards bodies add more. We surveyed them alongside peer-reviewed mechanical science and the NEHA + SPCP coalition language to draft a single, coalition-defensible working definition — so every state can regulate the same act. Open for ratification, amendment, or rejection by the Board and Contributors.

Documentary photograph of professional tattoo equipment and dermis micro-deposition study

Documentary photograph of professional practitioners in a sterile, compliant tattoo studio environment

PROJECT 04 · STANDARDS & STUDIOS

Ethical Standards for Products & Studios

Baseline expectations for manufacturers, artists, and studio owners — unifying communication around safety, quality, transparency, and professional conduct across the entire supply chain.

These standards are being developed to support shared responsibility across the tattoo ecosystem and help establish practical expectations that protect the industry, strengthen public confidence, and encourage responsible self-governance.

A draft will be released for member feedback before adoption.

HELP SHAPE THE DRAFTS

PROJECT 05 · ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability Across

the Supply Chain

Effective safety and quality standards depend on a clearly defined chain of custody and shared stakeholder responsibility.

From raw material sourcing and manufacturing through distribution, professional use, and end application, every stage of the body art product lifecycle has a role to play.

When responsibilities are unclear or fragmented, gaps in documentation, traceability, and risk management can undermine both product integrity and public trust.

TIMA is working to bring manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, artists, educators, and other stakeholders into a practical framework that strengthens transparency, consistency, traceability, and informed decision-making across the industry.

The resulting guidance and educational resources will help support implementation.