the tattoo market | Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

A tattoo is a permanent drawing on the skin and that can have symbolic, religious or decorative meanings.

We can distinguish two types of tattoos:

- temporary tattoo: in this case the inks used fall into the category of cosmetic products;

- permanent tattoo: done by professional tattoo artists using sharp objects or needles that introduce indelible dyes under the skin. In this case, the inks used are subject to specific regulations. 

The present study will focus on permanent tattoos. 

In 2019, the global tattoo market was worth over $140 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% thus reaching a value of over $200 million by 2027. This growth is explained by the growing interest of the world's population in this practice, which is increasingly seen as a real fashion. Moreover, the use of increasingly sophisticated inks, which are also removable, has allowed the growth of this phenomenon, especially among the younger population. 

The Italian tattoo market is booming both from the point of view of consumers (especially women) and of tattoo artists operating within the sector. In fact, a modest percentage of the Italian population today has at least one tattoo and the number of tattoo artists continues to increase unabated.  In terms of geographical distribution, the regions with a greater presence of tattoo artists are Lazio (with a particular concentration in the city of Rome), and the three northern regions, Lombardy, Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna.  

The growth of this market within the Italian territory can be explained thanks to a greater acceptance towards this practice and a greater safety in the practices for its realization. 

The tattoo market is also characterized by a high level of innovation: particularly relevant trends within the market are sound wave tattoos, which allow the reproduction of a particular sound when scanned, and those that act as medical devices capable of tracking biological data such as heart rate.