UK Prime Minister: The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer: The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP

Don’t let the Tattoo, Piercing and Cosmetics Industry collapse!

The Tattoo, Piercing and Cosmetics industry supports almost 600,000 jobs in the UK as well as contributing over £27 billion to the economy every year, yet our industry is marginalised.

We are part of a dynamic, developing and strong branch of services providing a source of livelihood for a large number of people, which is used throughout the cross-section of the community. It is also one of the main catalysts for the good mental wellbeing of society, boosting self-esteem and mental health. Tattoos are not only about art on the skin, many people use them as a way to remember loved one, cover scars and fight mental illness.

Tattoo Artists are trained and certified in blood borne pathogens and cross contamination as well as many other health and safety and sterilisation procedures and; by law, keep a record of every client that receives work. In addition, we undergo stringent Environmental Health inspections from our local councils annually as well as random spot checks throughout the year. It’s safer to be in a tattoo studio than any pub, restaurant or hotel.

Due to the prolonged closure of these businesses, and the lack of employment opportunities, a lot of our studios will not survive; as debts for rent, fees, taxes and wages continue to build. Over 3000 Tattoo Studios in the UK alone employ multiple members of staff with the rest being self-employed, our colleagues struggle to pay their rent/mortgages and other bills with no other way to gather income.

As one of the leading companies in the industry with 6 studios in the UK and 6 other branches in Europe, we believe this petition will help all businesses in our industry and the industries of our customers. Our suggestion would be to open Tattoo, Piercing and Cosmetic studios back up with certain restrictions; as a tattoo studio we would follow the blueprint of a “private studio” setting including:
One client per artist per day.

PPE for both artist and client. (Masks, Gloves and Aprons)
Booked clients only within the studio, no members of the public able to walk in.
Thorough deep cleaning practices after each client.

These practices are not uncommon in our industry already, but will offer the opportunity to re-open these businesses whilst adhering to Government guidelines around social distancing and public safety.

We as Tattoo Artists along with our colleagues in the cosmetics industry account for 1 in 30 of the workforce within the UK.  We strongly believe we can start to reopen our business and contribute to the rebuilding of our economy whilst also keeping the public safe. We also believe we should have the opportunity to do this sooner.

We would ask the government to re-consider including the Tattoo and Cosmetic businesses in the final phase of their plan.