Ephemeral Tattoo, the startup specializing in temporary, "made-to-fade" ink, is shutting down its studios after a string of reports that the company's tattoos last longer than the nine to 15 months advertised — in some cases, lingering nearly two years.
Ephemeral broke the news on September 18 via Instagram. In a statement sent to Highsnobiety, CEO Jeff Liu expanded on the post. "We’re incredibly proud of what we've achieved at Ephemeral Tattoo in such a short time, but it’s no secret that retail space is expensive and as a young startup, we’re highly dependent on what is an increasingly tight fundraising market," he said. "As a result, we've had to assess what makes sense for our business moving forward. Unfortunately, that means closing all of our U.S. studios at the end of September."
Liu did not address the reports — published by outlets including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Dazed — that Ephemeral tattoos were, in some cases, not fading as customers expected.
Ephemeral might be closing its physical studios, but the company isn't gone for good. Moving forward, it will focus on offering its fading ink to cancer patients receiving radiotherapy tattoos, marks that help radiation therapists deliver treatment to the right location.
In May, Ephemeral partnered with Henry Ford Health to begin studying the safety and efficacy of its made-to-fade ink for medical markings. “The initial safety data we’ve seen from this study is promising,” said Eric Schaff, Henry Ford Health's radiation oncology resident. “Study participants were questioned weekly as to whether they experienced any adverse effects at the site of the tattoo, such as pain, itchiness, rashes or other issues. To date, there have been no adverse effects reported by participants.”
Ephemeral will also begin licensing its ink to tattoo studios and artists. In other words: Interested customers will still be able to receive Ephemeral tattoos, just not at Ephemeral's own studios.
According to the company's Instagram, its Regret Nothing Guarantee — which offers complimentary touch-ups, replacement tattoos, and refunds if your Ephemeral tattoo fades too quickly or slowly — is still in effect. (That said, it's unclear how the company will facilitate these tattoo touch-ups and replacements now that its studios are closed.)
