Painless microneedle tattoos from London startup CipherX

New Atlas | Aug 7, 2026 at 12:30 AM
  • If fear of traditional tattoo needles has been the only thing stopping you from getting a tattoo, a London startup called CipherX may have found a solution.
  • Although the application method is very different from that of a conventional tattoo machine, the result is the same: a permanent tattoo.
  • Securing the patch with a special applicator takes about five minutes, then it has to remain in place for another 15 minutes while the microneedles dissolve and release the pigment.