A letter from Pui · Lead Artist, N&Beauty
Is Permanent Makeup a Tattoo? The Honest Difference
Hi — I'm Pui, the artist behind N&Beauty here in Bangkok. One of the very first things clients ask me is simple and important: ‘Is this a tattoo?’ It's a great question, and the honest answer has a little nuance — so let me explain it the way I would in person.
Chat on WhatsAppYes and no — here's the honest answer
Medically speaking, permanent makeup is considered a kind of tattoo. But it isn't the same as a regular tattoo on your body, and the difference really matters. The biggest one is depth: a body tattoo places ink deep in the skin, while permanent makeup places pigment in a much shallower layer.
That single difference changes almost everything — how soft it looks, and how it's designed to fade gently over about two years rather than staying forever. So when people ask ‘is it a tattoo?’, I like to say: it's a gentle, cosmetic cousin of one.
- Medically, yes — it's a type of cosmetic tattoo
- But the pigment sits in a much shallower layer than a body tattoo
- That's why it looks softer and is designed to fade gradually, not stay forever
The old ‘eyebrow tattoo’ — and why people worry
Years ago, before modern permanent makeup existed, this was simply known as an ‘eyebrow tattoo’. Those older eyebrow tattoos went deeper, closer to a real tattoo, so they lasted a very long time — but they could also blur, spread, or change colour over the years. That is exactly what many people are quietly afraid of when they sit down with me, and I understand it completely.
So here's my honest advice. This field has changed a great deal. Some artists who started more than ten years ago still use the same techniques they learned back then. Please choose someone who keeps studying the newer methods — it makes a real difference to how natural, and how safe, your result will be.
- Old-style ‘eyebrow tattoos’ went deeper: longer-lasting, but more likely to blur or discolour
- That worry is completely understandable — and it's why technique matters
- Choose an artist who keeps learning modern methods, not one still using ten-year-old techniques
Questions
A few questions I'm often asked
Medically it's considered a kind of tattoo, but it isn't the same as a body tattoo. The pigment is placed in a much shallower layer, which is why it looks softer and fades more gently over about two years.
That worry usually comes from older, deeper eyebrow tattoos. Modern permanent makeup is placed more shallowly and is designed to fade more softly — though no honest artist can promise a perfect result for everyone, which is exactly why choosing an experienced, up-to-date artist matters.
Because the pigment sits shallower, it usually softens over about two years, and we refine it with touch-ups. It's meant to fade gently rather than stay forever.
So — is it a tattoo? Gently, yes, but a very different kind, made to flatter your face and to soften over time. The more you understand that before we begin, the more confident you'll feel. If anything's still unclear, please just ask me. — Pui, N&Beauty
About the author
Pui — Lead Artist at N&Beauty
Pui is a PhiBrows-certified permanent makeup artist and the lead artist at N&Beauty in Asoke, Bangkok. She has completed 5,000+ procedures since 2022, and personally answers client questions on WhatsApp and LINE.
MORE GUIDES
Keep reading
Browse Pui's other honest guides — choosing an artist, the techniques, safety, cover-ups, and getting PMU while travelling.
Talk to Pui
Have a question first?
If you'd like to talk anything through first — no pressure at all — I'm always happy to answer your questions on WhatsApp.