Tribal neon ink (UV body paint)- Answers to frequently asked questions

Tribal Neon is a film-forming gel containing UV-fluorescent dyes. When applied to hair or skin the gel dries to a colourless film that glows bright blue when exposed to UV black-light.
Tribal Neon is a prop material designed for artistic and theatrical performers. It is not a cosmetic for regular use.

The non-run gel base is a cosmetic grade hair gel formulation similar to many others on the market and is intrinsically safe.
The fluorescent dyes in Tribal Neon are optical brighteners. These materials are used by textile manufacturers to make fabrics look whiter in daylight, and have been widely used for many decades in products such as household laundry detergents. Even as concentrated industrial raw materials optical brighteners are considered safe and have minimal toxicity by skin contact. At the much lower concentrations used in Tribal Neon it is reasonable to assume negligible toxicity or irritant potential.
However, optical brighteners are not approved as cosmetic colourings by regulatory bodies such as USFDA. The main reason for this is that because they are invisible in ordinary light such materials serve no purpose in regular cosmetics, and so no-one has ever seen fit to submit them to the extremely expensive approval process.
For this reason we emphasise that Tribal Neon is a prop material designed for artistic and theatrical performers. It is not a cosmetic for frequent regular use. Artists that purchase and use Tribal Neon do so at their own risk.
Of course, like almost all chemicals used in common cosmetics and other household products, any of the ingredients in Tribal Neon could be toxic if you swallow enough of them! You would probably need to swallow several cupfuls of gel to take a toxic dose, but to avoid any risk of toxicity or irritation we recommend against ingesting it or applying it to broken skin or to mucous membranes, including eyes, nose, mouth, and genitalia (that's right - some people have asked - we live in a strange world folks!).
Similarly, some individuals have very sensitive skin and develop irritation to many cosmetic products. If you have a history of sensitivity to hair gel products or to other cosmetics or detergents we advise you not to use Tribal Neon. For similar reasons we don't recommend applying it to children's skin. As a precautionary measure we also recommend the use of a barrier cream before applying Tribal Neon.

Yes, Tribal Neon is a medium-hold hair gel. The fluorescent effect is better on fair hair than dark hair however. For darker hair, best results are obtained by applying it quite thickly to hair tips and then allowing it to dry.

The fluorescent ingredients in Tribal Neon are dyes not pigments, so once the gel has dried out they stick to skin, hair, and fabrics quite strongly. Your artwork will remain visible (but only under UV light) for a couple of days, and will last the whole length of a weekend dance party. The dyes wash off from skin and hair and fade after 3-4 washes, and off clothing fabrics after 2-3 launderings. Barrier creams applied before Tribal Neon will reduce the dye fastness. If you sweat a lot some of the dye may get flushed off, but neither swimming nor perspiration will cause the dyes to run once the gel carrier has dried out.

We don't recommend it. Ordinary face paints, including most fluorescent paints, are pigment based (i.e. solid coloured particles) and will simply mask the dyes from the UV light that makes them glow, reducing their intensity. If you want to use other colours apply them separately.

The formulation contains the optimum quantity of dyes so that even a thin film will give a strikingly brilliant effect. This is easily applied with the edge of the foam square included in the pack. A brush gives more artistic control than the sponge. For best effect in dance or theatrical settings always apply strong lines and blocks of solid "colour" to give the best visual effect. It's worth experimenting first to get the application level right, so don't just start with a big blob on your forehead; make your first application in an unobtrusive spot to get a feel for using the foam.

In ordinary light it's easy to see where you've painted from the wet film. The wet dyes also glow slightly from the UV light present in ordinary daylight. It's much easier to get a good paintjob by spending some time painting yourself up in good light before you go off to the event, preferably with a mirror. Two friends can paint each other better than either can paint themselves. Of course, if you have a UV "blacklight" tube you will see exactly what you are doing.

Obviously this depends on the temperature and humidity of the day, but generally allow 2-3 minutes for a thin coating to dry. Thicker daubs will take longer.

Yes, Tribal Neon can be thinned a little with water, maybe up to 25%, but any more than this will make the gel too thin and your artwork will smudge or run before it has chance to dry.

The 7ml SnapPak is sufficient to cover an area of skin at least 1 foot square with a film of optimum thickness. This is generally enough to cover your face, arms, and the front and back of your upper body with solid line designs covering about 15-20% of your skin surface.

Dance events that major on UV lighting effects are the best. The more UV light there is, and the closer you are to it, the stronger the glow. We have found that in total darkness a 4ft blacklight tube gives off enough UV to make the dyes show up clearly 20-30 feet away. But if there is a lot of ambient light from spots and other lighting effects this will drown the effect at this distance. So for best results stand close to the blacklights!

Tribal Neon will work on most fabrics, but we don't recommend it or accept any responsibility for the results! While the dyes will wash out of most fabrics residual dye stains may be discernible in daylight by contrast with the unmarked substrate.

The single-serve 7ml SnapPak is the standard retail pack size available in bags of 1,10 or 100 units. 100ml jars are also available for performance use.

Not yet, but new colours are currently in development by Tribal Neon's Medicine Man!

Tribal Neon is available from www.fromnewzealand.com and www.homeofpoi.com web sites only