ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In 2021, a company announced a new kind of temporary tattoo, one designed to fade after nine to 15 months. Ephemeral Tattoo is the company, and it was perfect for Raimee Iacofano.
RAIMEE IACOFANO: Someone who knew that they did not want a permanent tattoo ever.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Iacofano says, tattoos are cool. She’s just not a long-term commitment kind of girl. So a few years ago, she thought, what’s the worst that could happen?
IACOFANO: Little did I know that almost three years later, my silly chicken on a skateboard tattoo would still be on my upper arm.
SHAPIRO: Ouch. Emily Kager (ph) got her ephemeral tattoo in 2022. She’s the proud owner of two dogs, shaggy goldendoodles, and she thought, why not get one in space with an astronaut, and let’s even throw a few stars around them?
EMILY KAGER: I actually didn’t even see the final design until the day of, which, at the time, felt fine because I wasn’t expecting it to stick around forever (laughter).
DETROW: And yet, Kager’s space dog is also still around almost three years later. She says she recently had to cover it in a foreign bathhouse where exposed tattoos are not permitted.
SHAPIRO: While not every customer has tattoos that stick around so long, hundreds have posted about their experiences on Reddit and TikTok. In 2023, Ephemeral Tattoo said that for some people, the made-to-fade tattoos can last up to three years.
DETROW: In a statement today, the company acknowledged the disappointment of some early customers and says it has since improved the ink in order to reduce fade time variability. Meanwhile, Raimee Iacofano says her chicken - still skating.
IACOFANO: I feel like it’s part of me. I even named the chicken on a skateboard. His name is Maurice (ph).
DETROW: Not exactly what she imagined, but she says it’s also become a reminder to not take life so seriously.
(SOUNDBITE OF MAZZY STAR SONG, “FADE INTO YOU”) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
