Chemical products: cadmium, lead — reported risk evidence
The acquired cohort contains 6 official alert references published from 2017-05-19 to 2023-12-08. This page compares 5 selected, distinct product descriptions, including permanent makeup ink, tattoo ink, permanent make-up ink. The other 1 records still contribute to the cohort counts but are not displayed: descriptions may repeat, lack the display inputs, or fall outside the eight-description display limit. The recorded risks raise separate evidence questions about cadmium, lead. Compare the product features and dated findings below before scoping an investigation. These historical observations do not determine your product’s compliance or a market failure rate.
Evidence retrieved 2026-10-07. Source versions and topic-specific limits are listed below.
Dated official observations
Compare the product features and reported failure mechanism
The source wording below describes the reported case at that time. Read each complete report before using it in an investigation.
Permanent makeup ink · A12/03001/23
Report published 2023-12-08 · notifying country Estonia · reported origin People's Republic of China
Reported product description
10 ml. of permanent makeup ink, colour 'black' in a transparent bottle with a white drip cap. The label indicates that the product is for professional use only. [1]
Reported risk explanation
The product has an excessive concentration of cadmium (measured value: 0.6 ppm). Cadmium is harmful to human health because it accumulates in the body, can damage the kidneys and bones and it may cause cancer.The product has an excessive concentration of cobalt (measured value: 0.6 ppm). Cobalt is a skin and respiratory sensitiser and may cause cancer.The product has an excessive concentration of lead (measured value: 50 ppm). Lead is harmful to human health, accumulates in the body and may affect breast-fed or unborn children.The product has an excessive concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (measured value: 0.025 ppm). Benzo[a]pyrene is a polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), which may cause cancer and is also mutagenic and toxic for reproduction. The product does not comply with the REACH Regulation. [1]
Reported measures, verbatim
Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): ImporterCategory of measure(s): Recall of the product from end usersDate of entry into force: 01/09/2023Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): ImporterCategory of measure(s): Withdrawal of the product from the marketDate of entry into force: 01/09/2023 [1]
Report published 2019-12-06 · notifying country Finland · reported origin People's Republic of China
Reported product description
Black tattoo ink in a transparent plastic bottle with a dispenser cap. The product was sold online (in particular via lightinthebox.com). [2]
Reported risk explanation
The product contains an excessive amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (measured total value: 1.88 mg/kg), benzo[a]pyrene, cadmium and lead (measured values: 320 µg/kg, 0.52 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg, respectively). These PAHs and benzo[a]pyrenemay cause cancer and are also mutagenic and toxic for reproduction.Cadmium is harmful to human health because it accumulates in the body, can damage the kidney and bones, and it may cause cancer.Lead is harmful to human health, accumulates in the body, can cause developmental neurotoxicity and may also affect breast-fed or unborn children.The Council of Europe Resolution ResAP (2008)1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up recommends that the levels of impurities of PAHs in tattoo inks do not exceed 0,5 mg/kg, of benzo[a]pyrene 5 µg/kg, of cadmium 0.2 mg/kg and of lead 2 mg/kg. [2]
Reported measures, verbatim
Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): OtherCategory of measure(s): Notifying about the risk Date of entry into force: 30/10/2019 [2]
Report published 2019-12-06 · notifying country Finland · reported origin People's Republic of China
Reported product description
28.4 ml of black pigment in a transparent plastic bottle with a white drip cap. The product was also sold online. [3]
Reported risk explanation
The product contains an excessive amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (measured total value: 1.94 mg/kg), benzo[a]pyrene, cadmium and lead (measured values: 180 µg/kg, 0.42 mg/kg and 26 mg/kg, respectively). PAHs and benzo[a]pyrene may cause cancer and are also mutagenic and toxic for reproduction.Cadmium is harmful to human health because it accumulates in the body, can damage the kidney and bones, and it may cause cancer.Lead is harmful to human health, accumulates in the body, can cause developmental neurotoxicity and may also affect breast-fed or unborn children.The Council of Europe Resolution ResAP (2008)1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up recommends that the levels of impurities of PAHs in tattoo inks do not exceed 0,5 mg/kg, of benzo[a]pyrene 5 µg/kg, of cadmium 0.2 mg/kg and of lead 2 mg/kg. [3]
Reported measures, verbatim
Type of economic operator to whom the measure(s) were ordered: ImporterCategory of measure(s): Withdrawal of the product from the marketDate of entry into force: 19/11/2019Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): ImporterCategory of measure(s): Withdrawal of the product from the marketDate of entry into force: 04/11/2019 [3]
Report published 2017-05-19 · notifying country The Netherlands · reported origin People's Republic of China
Reported product description
Ink for tattoos or permanent make-up in a 1oz bottle. [4]
Reported risk explanation
null The product contains cadmium (measured value: 0.53 mg/kg) and lead (measured value: 19.19 mg/kg). Cadmium accumulates in the body and can cause damage to bones and kidneys if absorbed from the tattoo and exposure to lead is harmful for human health and can cause developmental neurotoxicity.The Council of Europe Resolution ResAP (2008)1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up recommends that the levels of lead in tattoo inks do not exceed 2 mg/kg and that the level of cadmium does not exceed 0.2 mg/kg. [4]
Reported measures, verbatim
Type of economic operator to whom the measure(s) were ordered: OtherCategory of measure(s): Ban on the marketing of the product and any accompanying measuresDate of entry into force: Unknown [4]
Report published 2017-05-19 · notifying country The Netherlands · reported origin People's Republic of China
Reported product description
Set of 10 different coloured tattoo ink in 15 ml bottles. [5]
Reported risk explanation
null The product contains cadmium (measured value: 0.54 mg/kg), lead (measured value: 19.76 mg/kg) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)s, including benzo(a)pyrene (measured values: 153 ug/kg for benzo(a)pyrene; total of PAHs: 1.45 mg/kg). Cadmium accumulates in the body and can cause damage to bones and kidneys if absorbed from the tattoo and exposure to lead is harmful for human health and can cause developmental neurotoxicity. Some PAHs are carcinogenic. Benzo(a)pyrene is a carcinogenic PAH.The Council of Europe Resolution ResAP (2008)1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up recommends that the levels of lead in tattoo inks do not exceed 2 mg/kg, that the level of cadmium does not exceed 0.2 mg/kg, that the level of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) does not exceed 0.005 mg/kg and the total amount ofPAHs do not exceed 0.5 mg/kg. [5]
Reported measures, verbatim
Type of economic operator to whom the measure(s) were ordered: OtherCategory of measure(s): Ban on the marketing of the product and any accompanying measuresDate of entry into force: 19/04/2017 [5]
6 distinct official alert references, published between 2017-05-19 and 2023-12-08. Counts describe the acquired reports, with no market denominator.
Report year
Recorded alerts
2017
2
2018
1
2019
2
2023
1
Recorded risk labels within this evidence task
Label combinations are source facts within one comparison; they do not create separate guides with identical preparation tasks.
Chemical: 6 recorded references
Source selection, exclusions and calculation method
Filter the acquired, completely parsed English weekly XML releases. Deduplicate official alert references. Group by product category and the complete set of conditional evidence-question topics supported by actual risk text. Risk-label combinations remain recorded cohort facets and do not create buyer intents. Brand, product name, model, origin, notifying country, measurement-only changes and different wording of the same questions do not create intents. Unrecognized mechanisms stay internal for enrichment. Count report years and notifying countries deterministically. Display at most eight newest descriptions with at least 40 characters after whitespace normalization, nonempty reported measures and distinct casefolded descriptions; break date ties by official identifier. All cohort records count even if their description is shorter or not displayed. This is not a representative sample. Counts concern this acquired corpus only.
One acquired version per official public alert reference. Display at most eight newest distinct product descriptions whose normalized whitespace-collapsed text contains at least 40 characters and has nonempty reported measures; ties sort by official identifier. The complete cohort includes shorter descriptions. This is an explicit display selection, not a representative sample.
5 distinct descriptions displayed; 1 cohort records not displayed. Missing fields: {}.
These are selected, dated enforcement observations in the acquired weekly reports, not a random market sample, market-wide failure rate, proof of current product status, or a determination about your product. Notification country is not a complete sales-market or jurisdiction-coverage field. A quoted legal/standard reference is the report’s statement, not independently verified current law or a mandatory test panel.
Calculation safety-gate-evidence-comparison-10; units recorded alerts; no incidence denominator.
Turn the reported failure mechanism into a scoped investigation
Use this checklist to gather your business or product details before speaking with a specialist. The items below explain what to record and suggest useful supporting documents. You can add your own answers in the editable project brief.
Cadmium-bearing component or material evidence — what evidence do we have?
If the corresponding material/component is used in your product, identify which part and finish are in scope and obtain composition/lot evidence. Keep the report’s measured amount as a dated reported observation; ask a specialist to verify identity, use/actor conditions and current legal criteria before any conclusion.
Useful evidence: Component/finish BOM, supplier composition/lot documentation, relevant analytical results with method and detection limits, and a current applicability review.
Lead-bearing material and exposure context — what evidence do we have?
Identify the particular material/component, its accessible/use context and supplier evidence. Reconcile any analytical result with the sampled part, method and lot. A reported concentration in another product does not establish your result or a universal limit.
Useful evidence: Part/material BOM, supplier specifications, sampling/method/results, lot/revision records and current use-specific legal review.
Can we trace the affected component, formula or design revision across our supplied products?
Compare the reported descriptions with your own identifiers and change records. Treat missing or “Unknown” source fields as unresolved; they do not establish that no action was needed.
Useful evidence: Product identifiers, revision history, supplier/batch traceability and market/operator records.
Who would own an evidence review and any resulting corrective-action decision?
Read the reported measures as historical observations. Establish your own operator roles, sector-specific rules, decision owner and communication responsibilities before adopting another case’s response.
Conditional: Product-risk evidence and operator-role review — Compare the recorded product features and failure mechanism with your product. Confirm the applicable product regime, deciding evidence, operator responsibilities and justified next steps. This does not assume that GPSR or a representative appointment applies to every alert category.
Questions for providers
Which specific product features and reported risk mechanism make these cases relevant or irrelevant to our product?
What current legal, standards or scientific sources support your proposed investigation criteria, and what cannot be concluded from these dated alerts?
Which existing evidence can answer the risk question, what additional work is justified, and who owns any resulting corrective-action decision?
Sources and data dates
Read the official document in context. The audit details identify the precise locators and preserved versions used for this page.
