Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years. Yacold also

partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for

gut health, an investigator-led research program. To learn more about Yachtold, visit yawcult.co.com.

That's Y-A-K-U-L-T.C-O.JP. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacol.

Nearly a third of U.S. adults have tattoos, so plenty of you can probably rattle off the basic guidelines

of tattoo safety. Make sure you go to a reputable tattoo artist who uses new sterile needles. Stay out of

the ocean while you're healing so you don't pick up a smidgen of flesh-eating bacteria.

Gently wash your new ink with soap and water, avoid sun exposure, and frequently apply an

unscented

moisturizer. Easy peasy. But body art enthusiasts might face potential risks from a source

they don't expect. Tattoo inks themselves. Up until recently, tattoo inks were totally

unregulated in the United States. In 2022, the federal government pulled tattooings

under the regulatory umbrella of cosmetics, which means the Food and Drug Administration can oversee

these products. But now, researchers are finding that many commercial inks contain ingredients

they're not supposed to. Some of these additives are simply compounds that should be listed on the packaging

and aren't. But others could pose a risk to consumers. For science quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman.

I'm joined today by John Swirk, an assistant professor of chemistry at Binghamton University,

State University of New York. His team is trying to figure out exactly what goes into each

vial of tattooing and how tattoos actually work in the first place to help make body art safer,

longer lasting, and maybe even cooler.

John, thank you so much for being here.

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