What Every PMU Artist Needs To Know About Counterfeit PMU Pigments

Any industry you can think of, from cosmetics and brand name apparel to food and even medication, has had to deal with counterfeit products at some point. It is estimated that there will be over $3 trillion in counterfeit and pirated goods on the market globally in 2022! With counterfeit products including pigments, needles, and other equipment on the market today, the permanent makeup industry is no exception.

So how do you, the PMU artist, ensure that the pigments that you are purchasing are authentic and safe for your clients? That answer may vary from industry to industry and product to product; however, we can provide tips to teach you how to make sure that you only purchase authentic and safe Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments. We will also let you know what we are doing to stop counterfeiters in their tracks and how you can help.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” or so said Oscar Wilde. However, in the case of counterfeit PMU pigments, this form of “flattery” isn’t just costly, it can also be outright dangerous. At Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments, we go through a painstaking process to develop permanent makeup pigments that are high-quality, safe, and provide outstanding results. We use only the best organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and kosher ingredients to manufacture our products in small batches. Then, we put our products through rigorous testing and approvals to ensure the highest level of safety. You can even find the Safety Data Sheet for every EU REACH Compliant color in a variety of languages.

All of these high-quality ingredients, testing, and the time it takes to develop and manufacture a superior product like ours are costly measures counterfeiters are unlikely to take. This puts the health and safety of anyone getting a tattoo with these inferior products at risk. Without knowing what is in these products, it is impossible to count all the potential problems that could arise; however, likely scenarios include infection, allergic reaction, or poor quality results, just to name a few. Furthermore, it also puts the artists who use counterfeit products in jeopardy of the client going after them if something goes wrong, either financially or by tarnishing their good name.

Counterfeiters don’t just use our name recognition to make money from selling inferior products that do not have these same ingredients and do not meet the same standards, they also hide behind the Quantum name. When something goes wrong, our name is on the bottle, so these unscrupulous sellers won’t have to suffer the consequences. It will all fall on the shoulders of Quantum and the artists who use the counterfeit PMU colors.

How To Make Sure You Are Buying Authentic Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments

While there can be a variety of similarities and differences between a counterfeit product and an authentic Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigment product, these are the simplest ways to ensure that your tattoo ink is the real deal:

Always buy from an authorized source: Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments are only sold through our websites, quantumpmucolors.com and quantumpmucolors.eu, and through the authorized distributors listed on our websites. Any ink you purchase from other sources may not be authentic.

Check the label: Real Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments will have a black label with the Quantum name in our signature yellow color and the name of the color in white text. We have two variations of labels. The label for our Quantum Original Cosmetic Micro Pigments will include a larger gold “Q” logo at the top with the Quantum name towards the center of the label in yellow. Our EU REACH Compliant Platinum Label Cosmetic Micro Pigments have the same configuration, but the large logo at the top of the label is platinum (see the example). The words “Tattoo Ink” or the logo we use for our line of Quantum Tattoo Inks will never be included on the PMU bottles. All of our information is clearly legible and crisp on the label with our lot numbers printed on the back.

The numbered information on the label shows our (1) warning, (2) ingredients, (3) the sterile mark and the cruelty-free mark, as well as a QR code leading to our website, (4) the Lot #, (5) the name of the color shown in white text, (6) the Best Before date, (7) the importer, and (8) “Mixture For Use In Tattoos.”

The counterfeit example shows yellow or orange text printed directly onto a clear bottle. There is no black label present. Because of this, the imprint is of poor quality and hard to read. Instead of using our Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments logo and branding, these counterfeit products use the logo for our tattoo inks. Additional information is imprinted directly on the bottle and not in the same format as our label.

Listen for the clink: Our PMU pigments are thick and highly pigmented, just like permanent makeup artists love them! Therefore, we include two glass marbles in all of our bottles to aid in mixing the pigments when you shake the bottle. There should always be a “clink” when you shake Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments.

Know where they are made: Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments makes our products exclusively in the USA. If you see a product claiming to be Quantum that was made anywhere else, it is not authentic. quantumtattooink.com

Keep this checklist handy: These are some of the most common identifiers of a legitimate Quantum Ink:

• High-quality bottle
• A black label that matches the “REAL” graphic on this blog
• Thick, highly pigmented products
• The clink of glass marbles when you shake the bottle
• Purchased directly from quantumpmucolors.com, quantumpmucolors.eu, or an https://quantumpmucolors.eu/distributors/ listed on our website

What Quantum Plans To Do About Counterfeit Products

The main avenue through which counterfeiters are advertising fake PMU pigments is through social media channels. Because the Quantum name and logos are trademarked, we have been successful in getting social media platforms to shut down the accounts of counterfeiters quickly. It usually takes us less than 24 hours. We have already shut down multiple social media accounts of counterfeit operations and will continue to do so every time we find one.

We are also prepared to take whatever actions we can to get counterfeit Quantum products off the market. Quantum will work to ensure that counterfeiters are exposed to the proper authorities in their jurisdiction. Additionally, we will take legal action against the counterfeiters to recover any financial losses we incur.

What You Can Do To Help

Because of the quality and safety Quantum is known for, we know we have a loyal customer base of talented permanent makeup artists with integrity. You aren't just some of the best artists in the world, you also likely trust Quantum because you have just as strong of a commitment to the safety of your clients as we do.

You are probably wondering, “Besides making sure I am buying authentic Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments, is there anything I can do?” The answer is a resounding YES! If you see products on the market that claim to be Quantum that you are not quite sure about, look fake, or do not appear to meet our stringent standards, let us know by reaching out to info@quantumtatooink.com with your concerns. Please include as much of the following information as possible:

• A photo or screenshot of the product
• A link to the product listing
• The name of the seller, website, or social media accounts advertising it (Please include a link if possible.)
• Any other information that you have about the suspected counterfeit

Any PMU artist that alerts us to a counterfeiter that is not on our radar will receive a boxed set of Quantum Cosmetic Micro Pigments as a thank you from us. Together we can combat counterfeit Quantum products.