"Vegan," and ,"Cruelty Free," are two separate terms with completely separate meanings.

As far as ,"vegan ink," is concerned understand two things. First, the FDA does not monitor the production and sale of tattoo ink. This is most important to understand because that means there is no regulation or laws by which to abide.

Second, most inks are comprised of two factors; the pigment and the vehicle to carry the pigment. The pigment can be derived from plants, roots, and mostly chemicals. Black ink is commonly procured from charred animal bones, which can also be blended with other colors to darken them (Ex: dark blue ). The most common carrier is glycerine which can be plant, animal, or petro-chemically derived.

As far as "cruelty" is concerned, since there is no FDA regulation, animal testing cannot be confirmed...but why would a company invest more money on animal testing if their product isn't being regulated? I find that to be a positive aspect as far as cruelty is concerned.

With that said, there is no way to confirm the vegan or non-veganess of a tattoo ink.