Tattoo industry

The Business & Industry Guides series is produced by the Library & Information Service for ICAEW members and ACA students.

We can compile tailored key players reports, mailing lists, market reports, benchmarking reports and industry news. Our enquiry team can also research other industry-specific information, such as taxation, for you. Call us on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or email library@icaew.com.

Online articles

The library provides full access to articles from leading business, finance and management journals.

• View the latest updates on trends and forecasts for the tattoo industry

Access to articles is provided subject to suppliers’ terms of use.

Useful links

Postcode checker: how has your High Street changed since 2020?
Analysis from the BBC on changes to Britain's High Streets since the beginning of the Covid pandemic which shows tattoo and piercing studios increased in number by 8.2%. between March 2020 and March 2022. Includes a postcode lookup providing data on changes for different local areas. Published 6 December 2022.

How the new EU ink ban may be permanently scarring the tattoo industry
Article from Euronews on the EU ban on thousands of ink-colouring chemicals and its impact on tattoo businesses across Europe. Published 5 January 2022.

Market research reports focusing on this business sector are available from a number of market research specialists. In most cases these reports are available to fee-paying subscribers or on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Some free information is available from the following market research specialists, ranging from industry news to executive summaries of the reports.

IBISWorld
A full listing of reports from business and industry research specialists IBISWorld on the consumer goods sector for Australia, UK and United States. Includes reports on tattoo artists, tattoo studios and tattoo removal services. Summaries are available to view for some reports.

Need to find the latest news on this industry sector? We can carry out industry news searches using a range of trade titles and general business sources through our databases. To discuss your requirements, please contact the enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

YouGov

In July 2022 the online research firm YouGov carried out a survey of 2224 adults in Britain on attitudes to tattoos in the workplace. Survey results include data on the number of people with tattoos broken down by age and gender.

European Commission's Joint Research Centre

The EC's Joint Research Centre published a report in 2016 on the Safety of tattoos and permanent make-up. Section 5 provides statistical data related to tattoos in countries within Europe plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Includes estimates of tattoo prevalence in the general population and influence of age and gender together with data relating to regrets and tattoo removals. Also includes estimates of tattoo studios and artists in Europe.

UK

GOV.UK provides information on how to register with the relevant local council to get a tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Health and Safety Executive published the public consultation REACH restriction for substances in inks used for tattooing and permanent make up in February 2023. The consultation closes on 14 April 2023.

The Welsh Government published the press release Wales to introduce UK-first mandatory national licensing scheme for special procedures such as tattoos on 25 January 2023. The scheme will create a central public register for licensed practitioners and approved business premises.

The Chartered Institue of Environmental Health issued a press release on 8 March 2022 on the passing of the cosmetics amendment to the Health and Care Bill. The amendment gives the Government the power to bring into force a national licensing scheme for aesthetic non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including tattoos, in England.

Europe

The European Chemicals Agency provides information on tattoo inks and permanent make-up and the restriction of hazardous chemicals found in tattoo inks and permanent make-up in the EU under the REACH Regulation from January 2022.

We can produce reports on this sector using selected information from the FAME company database. Reports are available for:

• Companies with a business activity or trade description featuring tattoo.

Summaries of the three types of report we can produce are given below. You can find further information, a sample report, pricing details and an online order form on our industry sector reports page.

We also operate a bespoke reports service with results tailored to your specifications. Please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com to discuss your requirements.

Key players report

Our key players report looks at the top companies (by turnover) in any one of the segments within this sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures. The reports provide data on 11 comparative fields for the last available year, including:

• turnover;
• profit margins;
• returns on shareholder funds;
• solvency ratios
• number of employees.

Our reports enable easy comparison of the top companies in this sector against each other and against the sector median, average and standard deviation in each of the 11 fields.

Mailing list

A separate mailing list report is also available with address and contact details for the top companies in any of the segments within this sector.

Market reports

Our market reports look at the aggregated data for the top companies (by turnover) for any of the segments within this sector across all the fields usually found in a company report. The reports include data for the last 10 years* and enables easy comparison of trends for the whole sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures.

*Please note the number of companies for which data is aggregated will vary for any given year.

The market reports include sections on:

• key financials and employees;
• profit and loss account;
• balance sheet;
• cash flow statement;
• financial ratios;
• financial trends and changes;
• profitability trends and changes.

We offer benchmarking reports that can be used to inform your own business strategy or help you identify value-added services to offer to your clients.

Contact the enquiry team directly on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com for a report tailored to your own specific requirements.

Croner-i Business Focus

Business Focus is a resource that provides practical information on many small business trades and sectors. Its Business Opportunity Profiles offer detailed insights into market conditions, legal issues and the trading environment for a range of businesses. These include:

• Tattoo artist

Mini Business Opportunity Profiles are also available and provide a general introduction to more niche business areas, including:

• Temporary Tattoo artist

To find out more about Business Focus, please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

Atom Content Marketing guides

The Start Up Donut from Atom Content Marketing provides practical information on starting up and running a number of small business types. Guides cover a range of areas including market research, current trends, regulations, products and services, promotion and pricing. They include:

• Tattoo studio

The websites of trade bodies and other organisations in this sector are a useful source of industry overviews, contacts and statistics.

UK

• British Tattoo Artists Federation (BTAF)
• Tattoo and Piercing Industry Union (TPIU)

Europe

• Council of European Tattoo Associations (CETA)
• European Society of Tattoo and Pigment Research (ESTP)

United States

• Coalition for Tattoo Safety
• National Tattoo Association

International

• Tattoo Artists Guild