India, April 1 -- When Virat Kohli debuted his latest tattoo, the spotlight quickly shifted from the design to one label, 'vegan ink'. It sounded like a new-age upgrade, but here's the twist: chances are, your tattoos are already vegan too.

Earlier, tattoo inks often contained animal-derived ingredients such as glycerin from animal fats, gelatin and even bone char for black pigments. Today, that has largely changed. Most inks used in India are imported from the US, where vegan-certified formulations are now the norm, replacing animal-based components with plant-based or synthetic alternatives. As a result, the ink itself is rarely the concern anymore.

According to George, founder of vegan tattoo studio Ahimsa Tattoo, the real distinctio...