Temporary tattoos are a fun way to express yourself without committing to the permanence that comes with body modification. So when one woman bought one from Shein, she didn’t expect it to last longer than usual—or for it to ruin an actual tattoo appointment she had.
In a viral TikTok, user Meow (@k1tt13s0ul7) shared a photo of the tattoo she got from the lifestyle retailer. A pair of cherries with their stems tied in a bow graced her inner upper arm.
“I got this tat from shein and it won’t come off i tried everything (alcohol, coconut oil) NOTHING and I have a tattoo appointment [tomorrow] and I wanted it where I have this cherry so ima cry,” the on-screen text read.
In the caption, Meow writes that the tattoo is “engraved” into her skin, and she shared her panic with 6.6 million viewers.
Not Everyone Is Sympathetic
The viewers blamed Meow for buying something like a tattoo from Shein in the first place, while others said she should have done her research first.
“Why are we getting anything from SHEIN except clothes and shoes??? no fr,” a top comment read. Another comment with 165,000 likes simply wrote, “Move the appointment..?”
Someone else told her to try harder at scrubbing it off since her “skin doesn’t look irritated enough.”
In a follow-up post, Meow shares she just ended up getting the other tattoo behind her arm instead, saying she liked the placement there more.
However, Meow’s TikTok may have had an unintended side effect: many wanted to her to drop the Shein link to her tattoo.
“Idk if it works but just search up cherry tat on shein and it’s from inkbot,” she replied to one of those comments. This stopped folks in their tracks, because now they could see where Meow went wrong.
“Inkbox? The semi permanent tattoo company?” one asked. Another wrote, “Why would you get it from inkbox when you have a tat appt..AND IN THE SAME SPOT ??? I can’t even feel bad fr. They advertise themselves as long-lasting temp tats.. It’s not the same as regular temp tats for a reason.”
Meow replied that her tattoo appointment was a last-minute decision for Friday the 13th.
“I just always wanted a tat in the cherry area so i assumed i was going to be getting it there until i saw the actual stencil on my skin and liked the placement better in the back lol,” she wrote.
What’s An Inkbox Tattoo?
Inkbox indeed makes semi-permanent tattoos that penetrate the top layer of the skin (epidermis), making them last for around 1 to 2 weeks.
“The ink reacts with the proteins and keratin in your skin to change its color to dark blue or black over 24-36 hours,” the site states. It writes that they should fade away in roughly 10 days.
How To Get Rid Of Semi-Permanent Tattoos
Inkbox recommends using its Tattoo Remover Spray to help your tattoo start to fade. It also recommends exfoliating the area with warm salt water, a gentle body scrub, or a washcloth.
However, if Reddit is to be believed, there are other ways to speed up the process of fading semi-permanent tattoos.
When one Reddit user under the r/Tattoo subreddit asked for recommendations for removing Inkbox tattoos, many had different answers.
A top response was using alcohol and scrubbing, though if you have a semi-permanent tattoo, there’s not much you can do before it starts fading naturally. This is because it penetrates the top layer of your skin, and it won’t regenerate until about 10 days in.
Did Meow Get Rid Of The Inkbox Tattoo?
Yes. Meow replied to her original TikTok that the tattoo did end up going away. Her method?
“Rubbing alcohol but it only faded and then from there i just let it naturally fade lol,” she wrote.
BroBible reached out to Meow via TikTok direct message and to Inkbox via email.