Heinz is developing a red tattoo pigment in its official Pantone shade

The Brazilian creative agency Soko is collaborating with Heinz on a tattoo ink in the official Pantone shade of Heinz 57 Red, which was developed in 2020 from the brand’s signature ketchup. Through a partnership with tattoo ink manufacturer Electric Ink, Heinz and Soko aim to create an ink that uses only non-harmful ingredients due to health concerns over colour tattoo pigments – in 2022, the EU banned over 4,000 chemicals from being used in tattoos.

The new ink, quite simply called Heinz Tattoo Ink, has been under development for the past 14 months. When ready to distribute, it will be made available to tattoo parlours throughout Brazil, as part of a wider campaign which begins with a pre-launch film and OOH media for Heinz Tattoo Ink. Through the project, Heinz says it hopes to engage with a behaviour already found in the brand’s community.

“A quick search of photos and hashtags on social media makes it obvious that Heinz fans love getting tattoos with our brand and products,” says Heinz Brazil brand leader, Thiago Stelle. “Clearly, we had to do something extraordinary for them and, as a result, bring a new alternative to address the issue of harmful pigment ingredients.”

In conjunction with the new ink, Heinz has asked five leading Brazilian tattoo artists to create a total of 57 original Heinz tattoo stencils, which vary in style and approach. The stencils are available on the Heinz website, for anyone interested in what the brand calls “an official Heinz tattoo”.

Thiago adds: “We see this as a double opportunity, because with this new feature, we not only bring new ways to the get a Heinz tattoo through an incredible curation of artists, but we also offer an ink that is being developed with the same care in which we choose our ingredients and make our ketchup.”