Painless tattoo products from Inkbox and CipherX enter market

Inkbox, a Toronto‑based startup founded by Tyler Handley and Braden Handley, has moved its needle‑free, two‑week temporary tattoos into mainstream retail by partnering with Walmart in the United States. The tattoos are applied like decals, cause no pain, and are marketed as a low‑commitment alternative to permanent ink. Inkbox was acquired by BIC in early 2022 and has previously raised $17 million in Series A funding.

London biotech CipherX has developed a micro‑needle patch that creates permanent tattoos in about fifteen minutes. The single‑use disc contains hundreds of biodegradable microneedles that dissolve under the skin, leaving ink behind. Founder Ferdinand Kohle, a materials scientist, says the technology could also be adapted for vaccine delivery. Designs are limited to a 15 mm black‑only library, and roughly 500 patches have been applied so far.