Carbon vs. Iron Oxide Pigments: What Permanent Makeup Artists Need to Know About Long-Term Results

I will get some serious hate for this article but it needs to be said! I have never heard a client tell me or any artist that they desire permanent eyebrows that screams "Face Tattoo!" in a few years.

I’ll start with full honesty—I was just as guilty as everyone else. For years, I relied almost exclusively on iron oxide pigments, then switched to carbon-heavy formulas when they became the industry trend. They implanted easily, looked bold, and lasted longer… or so we thought.

But with time comes clarity. And after years of doing both PMU and pigment removal, the long-term results started painting a very different picture. What I didn’t understand back then is exactly what I’m trying to teach now: once you know better, you do better. That’s why I’ve come full circle—back to preferring true iron oxide pigments whenever possible.

The Real Problem: Oversaturation

In PMU, pigments are everything. They determine how your brows or eyeliner will heal today—and how they will age years later.

Lately, we’ve seen a major rise in oversaturation: skin so densely packed with pigment that it can’t accept any more color. The symptoms show up as:

• poor new retention

• muddy or blurry brows

• cool blue/gray tones

• patchiness

• skin trauma

• the need for removal before any new work

And here’s the pattern I can’t ignore: In all my years of working with clients in Las Vegas, I have never seen oversaturation caused by iron oxide pigments.

Carbon-based pigments? Every oversaturated case I’ve personally seen involves carbon.

Why Is Carbon Causing So Many Problems?

Carbon has been extremely popular for the past decade because it provides:

• quick, easy implantation

• bold color

• longer-lasting results

If we judged pigments only by how they look freshly done, carbon would win. But long-term? That’s where the issues start.

1. Carbon builds up permanently

Carbon particles don’t metabolize out. Each touch-up adds another layer until the skin is overloaded. That’s oversaturation, and removal becomes the only option.

The warmth fades you so clients get touch-ups which look great but they will notice that the eyebrows revert back to cool or ashy faster and faster after every touch-up. because more and more carbon is being implanted!

2. Carbon always heals cool

Once the warm tones fade, what remains is the carbon—ashy, gray, blue, or even green.

3. Carbon migrates more easily

The ultra-fine carbon particles can blur and spread over time. Eyeliner can triple in width. Hair strokes soften into blobs. Precision disappears.

4. Not ideal for hair strokes

Carbon may look crisp at first, but it rarely heals crisp. Lines blur. Nano strokes lose detail. Microblading becomes patchy or muddy.

Iron Oxide: The More Predictable, Skin-Friendly Option

Iron oxide pigments offer a completely different long-term behavior:

• They fade naturally instead of building up.

• They metabolize out of the skin over time.

• They rarely migrate.

• They fade warm rather than ashy.

• They’re far less likely to cause oversaturation.

Because they break down more easily, they give clients the ability to update shape, adjust color, or switch styles years later. They may be trickier to implant—especially iron oxide black—but the healed results are worth the effort.

Why Pure Iron Oxide Is Hard to Find

Most pigments on the market today are hybrids—a mix of carbon and iron oxide.

Terms like “organic,” “hybrid,” or “vibrant” often indicate that carbon is included, even when the branding makes it sound clean or natural. As long as carbon is in the formula, you’re still adding to the long-term buildup.

Pure iron oxide options are surprisingly limited—and that’s why many artists unintentionally contribute to oversaturation.

Pigment Brands: What I Use Now (and Why I Changed)

Finding non-carbon formulas required a lot of research and testing. Over time, my preferences shifted dramatically.

Brands I’ve Stepped Away From (High Carbon Content)

These lines all come from the same manufacturer (World Famous) and contain carbon:

• Permablend

• Tina Davies

• Brow Daddy

• World Famous

They’re not “bad” pigments, but for brows and long-term stability, the carbon load is simply too heavy for many clients.

Pigments I Prefer Now

1. Nouveau Contour Fusion (Europe)Low-carbon with better long-term stability.

2. SofTap — 100% Iron Oxide (California)My top choice for brows. Zero carbon, no ashy healing, and very low risk of oversaturation.

3. Select Tina Davies Lip Shades Only certain reds—for lips, but I stopped using any of the brow colors.

Why I Don’t Reimplant Carbon After Removal

One of the biggest mistakes I see: A client gets removal because of carbon buildup—and then the artist puts carbon right back in.

That restarts the exact same problem.

Post-removal skin needs pigments that:

• won’t rebuild density

• fade gradually

• keep their warmth

• don’t cause migration

• won’t turn gray again

Iron oxide is the only formula that checks all those boxes.

Final Thoughts: The Industry Needs Better Pigment Education

As PMU becomes more common, we’re seeing:

• more touch-ups over the years

• more layering of pigment

• more clients with old PMU

• more carbon in the skin than ever

Oversaturation is now a widespread issue—and carbon-based pigments are the leading cause.

Iron oxide pigments may take more finesse to work with, but they offer predictable fading, softer healed results, easier corrections, and far less chance of long-term problems.

And a final note: Not every client with cool, grayish brows is truly oversaturated. Some only appear cool because the warm tones have faded. Many of these cases can still be corrected with 100% iron oxide pigments without removal.

Always choose an artist who understands pigment ingredients—not just brand names.