Their Ephemeral tattoos were meant to fade. But years later, some are still stuck with them.

USA Today

07-04-2025

Their Ephemeral tattoos were meant to fade. But years later, some are still stuck with them.
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'Regret Nothing.'
That is the motto of Ephemeral, a cosmetic company that developed a made-to-fade, semi-permanent tattoo ink in 2014. But some customers who were told their tattoos would disappear within 9-15 months say they have been stuck for years with splotchy ink and semi-faded tattoos.
Gen Z is already experiencing tattoo regret. According to a 2024 survey conducted by semi-permanent tattoo maker Inkbox, nearly a third (28%) of people with tattoos regret one aspect of their tattoo, and over two-thirds (68%) regret the design itself.
One Ephemeral customer took to TikTok to say her tattoo now looks like a "skin disease." Another shared that she got the 'dumbest tattoo ever' (a chicken on a skateboard), because she believed the ink was "made-to-fade."
Sharon Lee, a content creator and influencer, was offered a free tattoo by Ephemeral in 2022 (a $500 value, per the emails she shared with us regarding the offer) in exchange for a promotional video, which was posted to her Instagram and TikTok. Lee already had six permanent tattoos –– small ones easily hidden by clothing –– and thought this was a good opportunity to try out a more visible tattoo.
On June 15, 2022, Lee got three butterflies tattooed on her upper arm at Ephemeral's Los Angeles studio. In February 2023, the company sent a wide email to all customers extending the maximum fade duration to three years and offering refunds if a tattoo outlasts that time frame.
As of today, the remnants of Lee's tattoo. The butterflies themselves are nearly gone, but the ink has left three blotches down her arm. Strangers have confused the spots for birthmarks or bruises, even asking about her safety.
'I don't regret my hidden tattoos, but I regret this,' Lee says. 'I wish I would just have gotten an actual tattoo, or just have gotten nothing at all. It feels kind of frustrating and scary to try to remedy an Ephemeral tattoo because it's so new, and you don't really know what's gonna happen.'
Ephemeral closed their in-person studios in September 2023, but the company still sells their ink to partner artists across the United States –– even extending to India in July 2024. On their website, they have a disclaimer that they are not responsible for variations including but not limited to 'fade time, manner of fading and location of fading over time.'
The company said in a statement its ink has improved over the years: 'With 10 years of ongoing research and development invested, (our ink) has gone through major improvement cycles,' Ephemeral said in a statement. 'While it doesn't change any disappointment past customer experiences may have had, the latest Ephemeral ink iterations on the market have greatly reduced the variability customers can expect.'
How does Ephemeral's fading tattoo ink work?
Ephemeral tattoo ink is deposited under the top layer of skin just like a traditional tattoo. But unlike traditional ink, it contains medical-grade, bioabsorbable ingredients that shrink over time until they are small enough for your body to naturally break down the ink, according to Ephemeral.
Over 76% of Ephemerals fade (with their newest ink formulation) in under two years, the company states. On their website, various examples of completely faded tattoos are provided.
Other semi-permanent companies, like Inkbox, are made to fade within two weeks. Unlike common temporary tattoos, the ink sinks into the top layer of the skin instead of just sticking on top. However, it isn't injected past the top layer like traditional or Ephemeral tattoos.
'Three years and plain as day'
On a subreddit titled r/EphemeralTattoos, hundreds of customers have shared their regret and desire to take action against the company, perhaps in the form of a lawsuit.
However some have pointed out that listed among the Terms & Conditions for the Ephemeral Reservation Deposit Agreement, there is an arbitration clause. ("You agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to any aspect of the relationship between you and us will not be decided by a judge or jury but instead by a single arbitrator.")
'Three years and plain as day... (I) want them to pay for this. We were lied to and misled,' one Redditor commented. Another said, "I am 3.5 years in… I have emailed them so many times and they answered back once requesting the information and photos then ghosted me.'
Lee says Ephemeral offered to provide a free cover-up tattoo, but she decided she doesn't want a tattoo in such a visible area, and is pursuing laser removal. However, no research has been done to test the effectiveness of traditional removal processes on Ephemeral tattoos.
'I regret getting an Ephemeral tattoo,' Lee says. 'If I had gotten an actual tattoo and I wanted to remove it, it would have been easier.'
'Tattoo regret' is evolving
Tattoo regret isn't unique to these not-so-temporary tattoos. Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Gabs Miceli would categorize tattoo regret into 'immediate regret' and regret that comes later on, like 'when you start to hit certain milestones in your life.'
'I've seen some people who have loved their tattoos consistently the whole time they've had them,' she previously told USA TODAY. 'And then I've seen other people falter in their attraction to them soon after getting them.'
Miceli says tattoo regret has always been around, but the ability to share and document these experiences on TikTok makes it seem more prevalent.
'(We're) able to hear people's experiences and opinions now more than ever,' added Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Phia Walla.
'Tattoo regret' varies from person to person
Emily Elizabeth, a New York-based lifestyle influencer, decided to get her Ephemeral tattoo covered up with a permanent tattoo after four years.
'A lot of people seem like they're angry… for me personally, I was never too upset about it,' she says. 'After 1.5 to 2 years, I kind of just got used to having it, and that made me come to terms with the fact that it might be permanent.'
That realization "almost made her spiral," but she reminded herself it was her choice to get the tattoo, and she "had to deal with it." Some of her friends' Ephemeral tattoos, she adds, have 'pretty much completely faded.'
She loves the design (and built on it for her cover-up), but felt the tattoo artist at Ephemeral's Los Angeles studio 'made some mistakes.'
'It didn't seem like they were the most skilled… but I think it's because they knew that the tattoo was supposed to go away, so there wasn't as much effort put into it,' she says.
Ephemeral said in a statement, 'With over 20,000 customers to-date, we know we bear a big responsibility to have the safest and most reliable tattoo product possible in the world. We consider any disappointed customer to be a major shortcoming on our part."
Still, others have shared success stories and were pleased with their experience. Elizabeth wound up feeling more comfortable with 'something on her body,' and says if she didn't go through with Ephemeral, she would have spent years deliberating whether or not she wanted a tattoo.
Following her cover-up, she's ready to square away the whole experience. As she told her TikTok followers, "Life isn't that serious."