Understanding PMU Pigments: Inorganic vs. Organic vs. Hybrid (And Why It Matters for Your Work)
If you’ve been doing permanent makeup for a while, you’ve probably heard the terms inorganic pigments, organic pigments, and hybrid pigments thrown around. But what do these terms actually mean for you and your clients? And more importantly, how do they affect the final result of your PMU services? Spoiler alert - your technique should be very different based on what ink you’re using!!
Let’s break it down!
What’s the Difference Between Inorganic, Organic, and Hybrid Pigments?
When it comes to pigments, there’s a huge difference between inorganic, organic, and hybrid pigments. Each one plays a unique role, and understanding their characteristics will help you achieve the best results for your clients.
Organic pigments are derived from carbon-based materials (aka “organic compounds”). They are typically used to create vibrant, bold colors (think colourful body tattoos). Organic pigments can offer a wide range of shades, but have the potential to fade out to a cool, ashy tone due to the presence of carbon black. Think of carbon black as permanent marker- it’s powerful and long lasting, and if used incorrectly, can be difficult to fade or remove. That being said, I don’t want you to be scared of carbon black - it is what makes our beautiful rich browns really POP!
But, when artists over saturate their clients skin with organic inks it can result in migration (blobby brows). When organic ink is implanted too deep into the skin, it can heal ashy and grey.
Inorganic pigments are typically made from minerals or metal oxides. Think earthy tones like browns, reds, and yellows. Many years ago, inorganic inks would fade to a pink or salmon tone but good news- as the industry has grown and evolved- so has the stability of inorganic inks! These pigments tend to stay truer to their color over time and now fade to a lighter version of the color that was initially implanted. I find my clients metabolize inorganic ink faster than organic inks. In most cases, after about a year, clients come back and the work has faded to a point that allows me to be creative all over again. From a business perspective- this is a plus as clients are retuning more often for color boosts.
Now, let’s talk about hybrid pigments, which are a blend of inorganic and organic properties. Many of the popular ink brands that are used today fall into this category.
Hybrid pigments give you flexibility in your work, allowing you to achieve a wider range of colors without sacrificing longevity. This makes them perfect for brows, lips, and eyeliner procedures, where you need a balance of vibrant color and stability.
But not all hybrid lines are built the same. Because they contain a combination of organic and inorganic pigments we need to take the time to figure out what’s inside that hybrid bottle (ratio wise) so we know how to adjust our technique in order to get the maximum results out of our ink.
Let’s dissect a few of my favourite and most trusted inks that I use in my studio. First things first- they are all amazing inks for different reasons. How I use each line is very different and that’s all based on their ingredients and how they work.
HANAFY
Let’s take a closer look at DARK BRUNETTE from Hanafy. It’s a hybrid line. But whats the mix ratio of inorganic vs organic? After looking up the CI numbers in this bottle we can see it’s made up of:
CI 77266 – Carbon Black (a black pigment commonly used in eyeliners, mascaras, and tattoo inks).
CI 12315 – D&C Red 28 (a synthetic red dye used in cosmetics, often found in lipsticks and hair products).
CI 21108 – Pigment Yellow 150 (an organic yellow pigment used in coatings, inks, and cosmetics).
CI 77891 – Titanium Dioxide (a white pigment used for opacity and UV protection in cosmetics, sunscreens, and tattoo inks)
Carbon black is present and it’s listed first. So we know this ink has the potential to ash out of not used correctly. So we aren’t going to over work the skin, we aren’t going to over saturate the brow and we will modify it as needed.
I keep my work light and this ink heals so beautiful and true to tone. I love using this line on my normal to oily skin clients. I love creating airy nano brows, powder brows and combo brows with hanafy.
I also tend to work with a single needle most often when working with hanafy. If you haven’t tried it before- you’ve gotta give it a go! Based on the presence of carbon black I’m going to treat this a little more like an organic ink.
OMG PIGMENTS - TERYN DARLING
The OMG line is also a hybrid line. But which way does it lean? Let’s find out.
After looking up the CI numbers in this bottle (bitchin brown) we can see: carbon black isn’t present. In this color in particular, its actually made up of all inorganic pigment.
CI 77499 - Iron Oxide Black
CI 77492 - Iron Oxide Yellow
CI 77491 - Iron Oxide Red
CI 77288 - Chromium Oxide Green
CI 11781 - Pigment Yellow 154
Based on the lack of carbon black I’m going to change up my technique a little here to get the healed results I want. I’m not afraid of saturation- I know I need it. I could also up my needle size if I want to. Round Liners and MAGs are a great way to pack in some more ink with less trauma. I find I gravitate to this line when working on my thin, dry and or mature skin clients - oh and my nervous girlies. If a client is nervous, I love being able to assure them that their brows will fade out nicely and leave them room to change things up in the future.
This line is a must in your collection. The flexibility that comes with this line is unmatched.
Let me blow your mind for a second and tell you my favourite way to use this line. Ya know those clients that want a touch up but don’t really need one? The ones who want it “just a pinch darker”. This is my way of touching my clients up with integrity. I don’t have to stress about over saturating them or blurring out their strokes. No fear of migration or blobby brows. Even when clients come it for their 1-2 year touch up- if there brows still look good but need a tiny little somethin’ something’ I will often use this line on them.
In this set, the other colors contain a mixture of inorganic and organic inks at different rations. The only color in the set that contains carbon black however, is COCO TEESE (and it is a micro amount and listed last on the CI # list)
Based on the lack of carbon black I’m going to treat this a little more like an inorganic ink.
PERMABLEND PIGMENTS
We can’t forget old faithful. I have been a Permablend lover for years and years. It is so reliable to me. Permablend is also a hybrid line (hence the ‘blend’ in Permablend.
So many incredible colors to choose from with this company- but I have my go to’s! The Signature brow set is my number one recommendation when it comes to must have colors for your brow collection. This set gives you the ability to work on any skin tone.
For new artists wanting to know where to start- this is the set I recommend for you. Forest brown will go down in Shay Danielle history as my most used color of all time.
And this blog post is focussed on brow inks but I do have to shout out my other must have Permablend set for any lip artists out there! (I’m sure you’ve already got it but Incase you don’t)
Now that you know the difference between inorganic, organic, and hybrid pigments, let’s review my key tips when using them:
Make sure you’re blending pigments from the same family—meaning organic with organic, inorganic with inorganic, and hybrid with hybrid.
It’s my professional opinion to NOT mix pigment brands. Mixing inks from different brands with each other can sometimes lead to unpredictable results and reactions.
I like explaining the different options to my clients and allowing them to be involved in their decision making. Do they want something that’s longer lasting? Or does something with a less ‘permanent feel’ appeal to them more. No sugar coating. I am upfront and honest about the pros and cons of each option.
Generally speaking heavier saturation is needed when working with inorganic pigments or inorganic heavy hybrids.
Less is more when working with organic (or organic heavy hybrids).
You need to determine your saturation based on where your ink selection falls on the spectrum on organic to hybrid to inorganic. Once this is determined you can be sure you are choosing the right technique for the client in front of you.
Being in the industry for 15 years means that I’ve learned alot about pigments throughout my career. I’ve learned many lessons through trial and error. I’ve also seen pigment companies grow and evolve and perfect their products- and we are so lucky as artists to have such incredible options from these companies with so much care and integrity.
If there is one key take away from this post, I really want you to know that one ink brand is NOT enough- you need MORE than one option in your tool kit. The more we know and understand the WHY behind the choices we make with pigments the more predictable our healed results will become.
