Organic vs Inorganic Pigments: Understanding Hanafy Pigments
There are more Permanent Makeup pigment brands on the market than ever before - giving Artists the luxury of more choice in the colours and types of pigments they use for their clients. But this variety can also make selecting pigments more difficult and confusing.
One major consideration when it comes to choosing the right pigments is the distinction between organic and inorganic - as this impacts several key treatment factors including colour vibrancy, durability, and application.
What is the difference between organic and inorganic pigments?
Organic pigments are made up of carbon rings and the colours are brighter and more intense, implantation is quicker, and results are longer-lasting.
Inorganic pigments are made up of natural minerals and the colours are softer, often requiring layering to achieve the desired end result, and fade faster and more evenly from the skin.
Hybrid pigments combine both organic and inorganic particles.
Are Hanafy Brow Pigments organic, inorganic or hybrid?
Hanafy Pigments have revolutionised the field of Permanent Makeup with their groundbreaking approach to pigment formulation - identifying the best properties of both organic and inorganic colourants and creating pigment lines that incorporate these elements for the best results.
Hanafy offers two main types of brow pigments:
The Organic Hybrid Line and the Inorganic Mineral Line. Depending on your client's skin type and desired results you can select the best option for them, and all Hanafy pigments from both lines can be mixed for beautiful, bespoke results.
Organic Brow Pigments: A burst of vibrancy
Organic pigments predominantly feature organic colourants (potentially also containing trace amounts of inorganic additives). The Hanafy Organic Hybrid Line contains predominantly organic carbon rings and is bolder, brighter and heals with more colour intensity, fading at a slower rate. This is a great choice for clients who are confident in their brow style and want longer lasting results.
Inorganic Brow Pigments: Nature's colour palette
Inorganic pigments predominantly feature inorganic minerals (whilst slight inclusions of organic colourants are possible, the core composition remains inorganic). The Hanafy Mineral Line is an inorganic collection which have been designed to implant easily into the skin, healing beautifully soft, and fading gradually over time until results disappear completely - without any colour change. These pigments are perfect for clients wanting flexibility in their brow style over time.
The Importance of CI Codes:
The majority of pigment formulations available today consist of a combination of organic and inorganic pigment particles, as each type brings its own advantages - these are hybrid pigments.
Examining a pigment's Colour Index (CI) Codes provided on the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or on the pigment bottle label offers insight into the specific pigment colours that constitute it, revealing whether it leans towards organic or inorganic components. By understanding the actual colourants that make up a formulation, Artists are increasingly able to make informed decisions about the pigments they are using.
So how do you tell which is inorganic or organic? If the CI code is 76999 and under, the pigment particle is organic. If the CI code is 77000 and above, the pigment particle is inorganic.
Hanafy Pigment Colorants:
Hanafy Pigments utilise a range of colorants to create their stunning shades. These include:
- CI77891 - Titanium Dioxide
- CI21095 - Pigment Yellow 14
- CI 21108 - Pigment Yellow 83
- CI21110 - Pigment Orange 13
- C112315 - Pigment Red 22
- CI77491 - Red Iron Oxide
- C112477 - Pigment Red 210
- CI12466 - Pigment Red 269
- CI74160 - Pigment Blue 15 or 14
- CI 77265 - Pigment Black 10
- CI 77266 - Pigment Black 6/7
Each colourant offers unique properties, such as tinting strength, lightfastness, and specific shades.
MSDS for both the Hanafy Organic Hybrid Line and the Hanafy Inorganic Mineral Line can be found here.
Comparing Traits: Organic vs. Inorganic Brow Pigments
The difference in inorganic and organic pigments goes beyond their composition. Organic pigments offer vibrant colours, while inorganic pigments provide more muted, earthy tones. Organic particles are smaller, reflecting more light, implanting quickly, and lasting for longer in the skin. Inorganic particles are larger and more opaque, might require more layering, but offer a gradual fade and flexibility in adjustments.
Ultimately, the choice between these pigment types depends on the desired effects and results of both the Artist and the client.
When to use Organic vs Inorganic Pigments:
Every Artist is unique - from their experience level to preferred techniques and tools, and every client is also unique - from their desired end result to their skin tone and type. All of these factors combined will determine whether you should use an organic or inorganic pigment.
Organic pigments, including Hanafy Organic Hybrid Brow Pigments, implant very quickly with immediate intensity and results stay in the skin with little to no fading. They are much less forgiving and demand a higher level of skill and experience for optimal results. Dilution and superficial implantation are crucial for achieving natural and subtle outcomes - Artists must exercise precision and caution to avoid over-saturation or deep implantation. Retouching or colour adjustments can be challenging due to the pigments' long-lasting nature. It is also important to consider skin type compatibility - organic pigments perform well on challenging skin types.
ID Liner Master @limitlesspmu used Hanafy Dark Blond No.2 to create these stunning Hyper realism brows.
The Hanafy Organic Hybrid Brow Pigments are a great choice for clients who are confident in their brow style and want longer lasting results, and for those with skin types that are typically more difficult to work on.
Inorganic pigments, including the Hanafy Inorganic Mineral Brow Pigments, require layering and take longer than organic pigments to implant in the skin due to their larger particle size. They also are designed to gradually fade out of the skin over time. This means they are much more forgiving and a great choice for newer Artists, or for clients who want flexibility in their results.
Maintenance:
There are many factors which can effect how long pigment lasts including your clients health, skincare routines, environmental influences and previous PMU history. Artist technique and also whether you work with organic or inorganic pigments will also significantly impact the longevity of results as the fading rates of these two pigment types differ greatly.
Depending on your client's desired outcome and the longevity you aim to achieve, selecting pigments requires careful consideration to align expectations realistically.
Organic pigments seamlessly integrate into the skin, with long-lasting vibrancy. For clients this means less long-term maintenance is needed, with results usually lasting 2-3 years before requiring a touch-up and sometimes no touch-ups are needed at all following their initial treatment. This permanency also means that clients must commit to the shape and colour of their brows from the first treatment, with little room for refreshing, correction or adjustment.
Inorganic pigments exhibit lower saturation levels in the skin with softer, more subtle colour results. A touch-up post the initial treatment is likely essential to achieve optimal saturation and more frequent maintenance is needed with annual re-touches every 12-24 months. They are less permanent than organic pigments and often fade completely out of the skin, providing clients with the flexibility to change the shape, style or colour.
Understanding the differences between organic and inorganic pigments is vital if you want to create the very best results for every individual client.
It's also important to understand that you MUST adapt your technique for these different pigment types - you cannot use the same techniques and tools to apply organic and inorganic pigments and expect to get the same results.
Hanafy Pigments open up a world of possibilities for Permanent Makeup Artists, providing a pigment range that combines the best qualities of both organic and inorganic pigments. By understanding their unique characteristics, exploring application techniques, and selecting the perfect colour palette, Artists can unleash the full potential of these remarkable pigments and achieve the best results for their clients.
One is not better than the other - there is a place in your Permanent Makeup kit for both the Hanafy Organic Hybrid line and the Inorganic Mineral line.
Depending on your client's desired results you can select the best option for them, and all Hanafy pigments from both lines can be mixed together for beautiful, bespoke results.