Carbon vs. Iron Oxide: The Truth About Permanent Makeup Pigments—and Why Oversaturation Is Becoming a Major Problem

carbon pigment after 3 years

iron oxide pigment after 3 years

In the world of permanent makeup (PMU), pigments are everything. They determine how your brows, lips, or eyeliner look today—and how they will look years from now. But as the industry grows, a serious issue has emerged: oversaturation.

Every week, more clients walk through the door with eyebrows that can’t accept one more drop of pigment. Their skin is overloaded. The culprit? Carbon-based pigments.

After years of performing permanent makeup and removal services, one pattern has become absolutely undeniable:

I have never seen a client in Las Vegas oversaturated with iron oxide pigments. Not once.

But carbon-based pigments? Every oversaturated client—100%—was saturated with carbon (at least from my experience this is the case).

Let’s break down why this is happening, what the long-term consequences are, and what both clients and artists need to understand about the difference between carbon-based pigments and iron oxide pigments.

What Causes Oversaturation in Permanent Makeup?

Oversaturation happens when the skin becomes so full of pigment particles that it literally cannot take more color. The result?

• Poor retention

• Muddy or blurred brows

• Cool ashy, bluish, or greenish tones

• Patchiness

• Skin trauma

• The need for removal before any new work can be done

And oversaturation is not rare anymore—it’s becoming one of the biggest problems in modern PMU.

Why the spike?

Because for the last 10–15 years, carbon-based pigments have been trending. And carbon does not fade the way iron oxide does. It does not metabolize out of the body. It simply stays, layer after layer, touch-up after touch-up.

The result?

Clients are building up carbon in their skin until the skin is overloaded—and they need removal.

Carbon-Based Pigments: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Carbon pigments are often marketed as “organic,” which sounds healthy and natural—but in PMU language, organic = carbon-based. It does not mean fruit-based, herbal, or “clean.”

Carbon pigments have advantages, which is why many artists use them:

Why Artists Love Carbon:

• Easier to implant → carbon “flies” into the skin

• Richer, deeper color payoff

• Longer-lasting results

• More vibrant healed results initially

If all we cared about was what it looks like right after the procedure, carbon would win every time.

Now for the downsides—because they’re big:

1. Carbon Builds Up Forever

Carbon particles do not break down or metabolize. Each touch-up adds more. And more. And more.

Eventually, the pigment becomes:

• Too dense

• Too dark

• Cool-toned

• Blurry

• Undetectable in the skin, making new implantation impossible

This is oversaturation, and once you hit this point, the only solution is removal—often multiple sessions.

2. Carbon Always Fades Cool

Carbon blacks and browns heal:

• ashy

• gray

• bluish

• greenish

There is no such thing as a warm-fading carbon pigment. It actually doesn't really fade much. It looses its warmth due to the red and yellow (may be iron oxide) fading and only leaving that cool carbon.

3. Carbon Migrates More Easily

Because carbon particles are extremely small, they can:

• blur

• spread

• migrate

• cause eyeliner “smudge” over time

• distort hair strokes into blobs

Even if the procedure is perfect, long-term healed results with carbon tend to spread. Carbon eyeliners can spread out to triple what the original eyeliner was.

4. Terrible For Hair Strokes

Carbon-based pigments look amazing in fresh photos.

But healed?

Hair strokes blur out.

Nano brows lose detail.

Microblading becomes blotchy.

Carbon simply cannot hold crisp lines.

Iron Oxide Pigments: The Safer, More Stable Long-Term Option

Do you know why your brows are dark and blue grey? Why don't they hold color? Have you been told you were oversaturated?

Iron oxide pigments are considered inorganic, which in PMU terms is actually a good thing.

Advantages of Iron Oxide:

• Do not migrate easily

• Fade naturally

• Fade warm, not ashy

• Metabolize out over time

• Far lower chance of oversaturation

• Much easier to modify, adjust, or correct

Iron oxide pigments stay where you put them, and they soften predictably.

Sure this is very warm but this is years faded and so easy to redesign. This iron oxide pigment needs no correction or removal. She can get crispy hair strokes, no problem.

Do they last as long as carbon?

No—and that’s actually the point.

Because iron oxide doesn’t stay permanently stacked in the skin, clients avoid the oversaturation problem and have the ability to modify shape, color and design when they have the desire.

Are they harder to implant?

Yes. Iron oxide black especially can be challenging because it’s not as deep and dark as carbon black.

But the long-term results?

Worth it. Every time.

Why Are Pure Iron Oxide Pigments So Hard to Find?

Because almost everything on the market today is hybrid—a mix of iron oxide + carbon.

Many pigment lines advertise “organic,” or “hybrid,” but it actually just means you are getting carbon. You’re still adding carbon with every touch-up.

Which means you're still contributing to long-term oversaturation.

The reality?

Pure iron oxide pigments are rare—and most artists aren’t using them. Most major brands are high carbon based (organic) or "hybrid".

My Professional Pigment Choices (and Why They Changed)

Finding pure iron oxide pigments without carbon was extremely difficult. After extensive research, testing, and years of seeing oversaturated clients, I’ve adjusted my entire pigment approach.

Pigments I’ve moved away from:

These brands are made by the same manufacturer (World Famous) and contain carbon:

• Permablend

• Tina Davies

• Brow Daddy

• World Famous

These are not bad products—many artists use them—but for brow work and long-term stability, they simply add too much carbon. I am looking at long term, years of touch-ups and the facts are clear. The carbon builds up. These have carbon. It is what it is.

Pigments I prefer now:

1. Nouveau Contour Fusion (Europe)

Low-carbon formulation, better long-term stability.

2. SofTap — 100% Iron Oxide (California)

My absolute favorite for brows and natural-looking results.

No carbon, no bluish healing, no oversaturation.

3. Select Tina Davies lip colors

Only the shades of red......

Some lip tones are gorgeous and safe—but the brow colors? I avoid them completely.

Why I Will Not Put Carbon Back Into Skin After Removal

One of the most counterproductive things I see in the industry:

A client is oversaturated → they get removal →and the artist puts carbon-based pigment right back in!

This makes absolutely no sense. The cycle begins again.

If you had to remove carbon because it built up and ruined the brows…why would you put more carbon back in?

When a client has undergone removal, their skin needs a pigment that:

• stays put

• fades predictably

• won’t rebuild density

• won’t turn ashy

• won’t saturate again

The only pigment that checks those boxes is iron oxide.

Final Thoughts: The Future of PMU Needs Better Pigment Education

With PMU more popular than ever, we’re entering an era where:

• more people have old permanent makeup

• more clients have had repeated touch-ups

• more carbon has been implanted than ever before

• oversaturation is becoming a widespread problem

Artists and clients both need to understand:

Carbon-based pigments create beautiful short-term results, but long-term, they are responsible for most oversaturation cases.

Iron oxide pigments may require more skill to implant, but they offer:

• safer healed results

• predictable fading

• easier corrections

• far less risk of migration

• virtually no oversaturation issues

If long-term beauty and skin health matter—and they should—iron oxide is the future. Carbon is the shortcut.

In closing, there are some clients being told they are oversaturated when they are not. Sure you can see the cool carbon and they lost all their warmth. It doesn't mean they all are oversaturated. Clients are being told they are oversaturated based on the cool tone alone but they can still accept color for a corrective service so long as no pigment with any carbon is used. Color correction with 100% iron oxide pigments can be done in these situations. There are quite a few clients wo absolutely need removal first but there are some acceptations.

Make sure to find an artist who is well versed in pigment ingredients.