A vegan tattoo, what’s that you ask? Well! It is a little-known fact that some tattoo inks are actually made with animal products. Non-vegan varieties may contain bone char, glycerin from animal fat, gelatin from hooves, or shellac from beetles.

As Tim Donnelly writes at The Atlantic , “The ink and processes at your average shop contain a veritable buffet of animal detritus: charred bones of dead animals in the ink, fat from once-living things in the glycerin that serves as a carrying agent, enzymes taken from caged sheep that go into making the care products.”

But don’t let that put you off getting your next ink. We have put together a list of vegan tattoo artists in Melbourne.

Mitch Gore @mitchgore_soos

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mitch Gore (@mitchgore_soos) on Oct 16, 2018 at 3:17pm PDT

Avalon Todaro @avalontattoo

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Avalon Todaro? (@avalontattoo) on Dec 19, 2018 at 7:11pm PST

Josh Todaro @josh_todaro

View this post on Instagram A post shared by J O S H T O D A R O (@josh_todaro) on Jan 12, 2019 at 7:01pm PST

Shell Valentine @shell_valentine_tattoo

View this post on Instagram A post shared by shell (@shell_valentine_tattoo) on May 6, 2018 at 2:47am PDT

Steve @goatmoth

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Steve Boyd (@goatmoth) on Nov 8, 2018 at 8:27pm PST

Amanda Brooks @amandabrookstattoo

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda S. Brooks (@amandabrookstattoo) on Dec 6, 2018 at 1:04am PST

Carly Kroll @carly.kawaii

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carly Kawaii Tattooist ? (@carly.kawaii) on Dec 26, 2018 at 1:51am PST

Gabriella Angiolino – @gee.tattoos

Tammy Leigh Tattoos @tammyleightattoos

Ruby Kubetz @r_kube

This list is current as of February 2019. Missing someone? Let us know.