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Sean Lanusse holds a bottle of Bactine MAX, an over-the-counter anesthetic that many tattoo artists use, in Thunderbird Tattoo, the tattoo shop where he works in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
Francisca Benitez \/ OPB<\/p>\n
The Oregon Health Authority issued a practice clarification on March 25, 2026, stating tattoo artists are prohibited from using over-the-counter and nonprescription topical anesthetics like numbing cream and Bactine spray under Oregon\u2019s current statutes. <\/p>\n
This clarification has minor implications for some tattoo artists in the state of Oregon, but it has left others rescheduling appointments and scrambling to adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just going to devastate the whole permanent makeup industry completely,\u201d said Heather Parish, a cosmetic tattoo artist offering permanent makeup services and education at Carole\u2019s Cosmetic Tattoo<\/a> LLC Studio & School in Beaverton.<\/p>\n Parish said the clarification was a surprise. She had to cancel appointments that were on her schedule for eyeliner and lip tattoos, and she\u2019s concerned about finding models for student practical hours.<\/p>\n She fears her clients will simply cross the river to Washington to get services. Numbing creams and sprays are not prohibited for tattoo artists in Washington or in any other state \u2014 except Michigan, which banned topical anesthetics for tattoo artists last year.<\/a><\/p>\n Some artists say the change is so impactful that it should be considered a rule change rather than a clarification of practice. An official rule change would require a vote and opportunity for public input, whereas a clarification takes effect immediately without either.<\/p>\n \u201cOregon does not even have a single statute that explicitly says numbing is banned. But the recent board clarifications and practice standards have effectively restricted how licensed tattoo artists, which includes cosmetic tattoo practitioners, can use them,\u201d Parish said.<\/p>\n In an email to a group called Reform Oregon Tattooing<\/a>, Derek Fultz, qualification analyst at the state health authority\u2019s Health Licensing Office, wrote, \u201cStatutes outline what is within the scope of practice for an Oregon licensed tattoo artist, and administrative rules are based on what the law allows. Under Oregon Revised Statute (ORS 690.350<\/a>), it does not mention the use of topical anesthesia. Since it is not included in the law, it\u2019s not something that can be turned into a rule or voted on by the Board or public.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaysie Anderson<\/a>, another cosmetic and medical tattoo artist in Portland, says her business is seriously affected by the change. <\/p>\n \u201cI use numbing for nearly every single service I perform. For cosmetic tattooing especially, topical anesthetics are not optional, they are essential,\u201d she wrote in an email to OPB.<\/p>\n Examples of permanent makeup services offered by Kaysie Anderson, founder and owner of Exuvium Studios on Main Street in Portland. Freckle, brow, eyeliner and lip blush tattoos in undated provided images.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Kaysie Anderson<\/p>\n \u201cWithout numbing for certain procedures, not only would my clients not be able to tolerate it, but I wouldn\u2019t be able to see my work clearly or implant pigment effectively,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n Anderson is the founder and owner of Exuvium Studios on Main Street in Portland. Her services include permanent eye, eyebrow, lip and cheek makeup, small artistic tattoos, areola reconstruction and tooth gems.<\/p>\n \u201cClients often come for things like camouflage and reconstructive tattooing when they have already experienced trauma, medical hardship and pain,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n An example of scar camoflage areola tattoo by Kaysie Anderson, founder and owner of Exuvium Studios in Portland, in an undated provided image.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Kaysie Anderson<\/p>\n All types of tattoo artists in Oregon receive the same license from the Oregon Health Licensing Office. That means the clarification applies to artistic tattooers, who provide artwork on the skin; cosmetic tattooers, who provide permanent makeup such as eyeliner and lip blush; and medical tattooers, who offer services such as scar camouflage and areola reconstruction for mastectomy patients.<\/p>\n Some of these types of tattoo artists frequently use numbing creams and sprays, but there\u2019s a wide range of use. <\/p>\n Even before the Oregon Health Authority\u2019s clarification, many artistic tattooers rarely or never used numbing creams and sprays simply out of preference, saying they can change the skin texture and make it harder to work with.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, for artistic tattooing, I don\u2019t see it being that big of a problem,\u201d Sean Lanusse<\/a>, artistic tattooer at Thunderbird Tattoo<\/a> in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, said.<\/p>\n Sean Lanusse holds a bottle of Bactine MAX, an over-the-counter anesthetic that many tattoo artists use, in Thunderbird Tattoo, the tattoo shop where he works in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n Francisca Benitez \/ OPB<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes the skin kind of weird in my opinion,\u201d he said. \u201cAlmost like tattooing a Nerf football.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite that, Lanusse said many tattoo artists rely on Bactine spray during especially long sessions, and most artists have a bottle on hand for cases where it would be useful.<\/p>\n Since the Oregon Health Authority clarification, the artists at Thunderbird Tattoo have removed their bottles of Bactine from their stations and placed them together on a high shelf in the studio. In compliance with the clarification, they will not use it anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that that\u2019s how the state decided to go about it, just kind of slide out a memo,\u201d Lanusse said. \u201cYou were never allowed to; therefore, effective immediately,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bactine and similar topical anesthetics are available at drugstores with no restrictions. Cosmetic tattooer Parish is frustrated by a rule that prevents her from using a product that\u2019s otherwise legal and readily available.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can buy over-the-counter products and use them at home, use them on your children, but you can\u2019t use it for a client,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Bactine products available for sale at a Walgreens drugstore in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland on Apr. 8, 2026. According to a practice clarification issued by the Oregon Health Authority, tattoo artists are not allowed to use these products on clients.<\/p>\n Francisca Benitez \/ OPB<\/p>\n The health authority clarification states that administration of topical anesthesia to a client by a licensed tattoo artist is not within their scope of practice, and \u201cthe administration of drugs to other people may constitute the practice of medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n It also warns that if a tattoo artist is found administering topical anesthesia or other nonprescription drugs to a client, they could \u201cface sanctions from the Board of Electrologists and Body Art Practitioners, including civil penalties, suspension or revocation of the license and potential criminal charges.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about enforcement, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority wrote, \u201cHLO [the Health Licensing Office] can on its own motion initiate a complaint or inspection of a facility and accepts complaints from the public. HLO would review complaints to ensure HLO has jurisdiction then conduct a thorough investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the spokesperson, the health authority has issued two disciplinary actions against practitioners for using topical anesthesia. In both cases, numbing cream was used around the eye and in one of those cases, medical-grade strength lidocaine was used.<\/p>\n Zuri Victoria<\/a>, an esthetician & cosmetic\/medical tattoo artist at Tattoo 34<\/a> in Portland\u2019s Hawthorne neighborhood, said she prefers not to use numbing creams and sprays anyway, and she was satisfied with the rollout of the clarification.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you are licensed with OHLA, they send you updates on everything and anything. So there\u2019s constant communication on their end,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Still, she said the clarification was significant to her because it impacts certain clients more than others, like the ones seeking scar coverage.<\/p>\n \u201cClient comfort is something that I do highly respect and consider,\u201d she said. \u201cWith medical tattooing, the scars themselves can either lack sensation or they can be hypersensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n In an email to OPB, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority declined to answer whether the rollout of the clarification was typical, writing, \u201cThere is always room for artists to provide public comment to OHA.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson, the cosmetic and medical tattooer, said she plans to fight this clarification, and she\u2019s in contact with other artists who agree.<\/p>\n \u201cI am of the opinion that if no regulations have changed, then I will continue to use the products and procedures that have always been acceptable prior to this \u2018clarification,\u2019\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n How did we get here?<\/p>\n The Oregon Health Authority is in the process of reviewing the curriculum for tattoo artists through the Board of Electrologists and Body Art Practitioners and a committee made up of tattoo artists in the region. It\u2019s officially called the Tattoo Course of Study Review Committee.<\/p>\n The board has been reviewing the curriculum for months, navigating myriad opinions and trying to find common ground that works for all types of artists in the state. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were in these committee meetings to look at the tattoo school curriculum. And at one point, it was brought up that there was no information in the curriculum whatsoever about any topical anesthetics,\u201d said artistic tattooer Lanusse, who is on the committee. \u201cSo we pointed out that that wasn\u2019t in the curriculum at all. And then that triggered the state to look into it.\u201d<\/p>\n In an email to OPB, a spokesperson for OHA confirmed that concerns raised by people on the committee and the board triggered the review of the current statutes.<\/p>\n When asked about the potential impact on the businesses of cosmetic and medical tattoo artists, the OHA spokesperson wrote, \u201cIt is not within the scope of a tattoo artist to administer topical anesthesia. The self-administration of topical anesthesia or other over-the-counter nonprescription drugs by a client is not regulated by the Board.\u201d<\/p>\n Allowing a client to apply their own topical anesthetics is a loophole that artists are generally aware of, but all the artists interviewed by OPB said it poses risks.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone orders something off of Amazon or takes it upon themselves to make that executive decision and then they show up \u2026 There could be an issue,\u201d Victoria said.<\/p>\n A screenshot from Amazon’s website showing four numbing creams that are available for sale on Apr. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n Francisca Benitez \/ OPB<\/p>\n Parish said if clients have to apply their own anesthetics, they could choose an inferior product or apply them incorrectly. \u201cI buy from a reputable company, a permanent makeup products LLC,\u201d she said. Plus, the client has to pay for it themself, raising the cost of the service.<\/p>\n![\"Examples](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/V7T4VD2BKZABJO76JXVTU7JTCE.jpg\")
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