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France - République Française

In France there is an opinion* of the Conseil Supérieur d'Hygiène Publique de France (CSHPF) from September 15th 2000 regarding the infection protection rules related to body/skin penetration activities of non-medical character (i.e. tattooing, piercing, dermography, electrolysis-epilation) which was followed by a Guide of Recommendations for the Prevention of the Transmission of Infectious Deseases** on December 11th 2000. In addition the Syndicat National des Artistes Tatoueurs (SNAT) released a Manual Assuring Quality *** recommending certain hygiene procedures and explaining the risks of infections for both, the artist and the customer. In 2003 the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) of the French Ministry of Health eventually drew up a draft regulation **** on the rule for public health protection related to the practices of tattooing and piercing in the European Union.


Legal Basis: The draft regulation, still under review, is voluntarily limited to the health aspects of the problem. It comprises:

• a decree to be taken in Council of State fixing the general principles;
• a series of application decrees promulgated by the ministries concerned and fixing the methods and rules to be respected by the operators.

Following an inter-ministerial consultation, it was the principle of organising/regulating the tattooists and piercers as a professional was not retained as the appropriate solution. This means that the methods of exercise of these practices are regulated only in as far as they can have health consequences (ex: the ambulant outdoor practice will be prohibited in fact). The technical skills necessary for carrying out piercing/tattooing practices and their apprenticeship are not the object of individual regulation.

The draft decree comprises three sections:

• § tattooing and body piercing;
• § the piercing of the ear and of the wing of the nose by the technique of the "borer-ear gun";
• § common provisions.

Definitions: The draft regulation does not provide definitions and does not clarify whether permanent make up practices are defined as tattooing practices. However, permanent make up practices are covered in parallel to tattooing in the opinion of the CSHPF from September 2000.

Licencing, education and skills: The draft regulation states that there will be a simple registration of the persons carrying out the activities of piercing and tattooing, without any particular obligations, except this of a vocational training on hygiene rules. The programme and the modalities of the training will be specified by the decrees to follow.

Sterility requirements: Hygiene conditions** are recommended by the CSHPF. These conditions cover:

• § the hygiene procedures applicable to the customer and to the operator: disinfection of the tattooed area or opening and use of gloves
• § the conditions and procedures concerning the equipment: single use and sterilisation procedures
• § the conditions and procedures concerning the buildings and furniture: specification of the buildings, maintenance of the buildings, specification of furniture.

Special safety requirements on chemicals/materials used: Provisions on tattooing pigments such as positive or negative lists, have not yet been decided, except the European rules already enacted as for nickel. A priori, there is the intention of being directed towards a list of prohibited components for allergen risk or of intoxication.

Other key provisions (non exhaustive summary):

• The waste of the activity of tattooing and of piercing is treated as waste of activities of care with infectious risk (DASRI) and will be subjected to the same regulation as the latter
• Requirement for the authorisation of the parents for the minors
• Risk information duty: Any person carrying out the activity of tattooing or of piercing will be requested to deliver information to the customers on the risks to which they expose themselves and the precautions to be respected. This information needs to be delivered in writing. Its contents will be defined by the CSHPF.

* Avis concernant les règles de prophylaxie des infections pour la pratique "d'actes corporels" sans caractère médical avec effraction cutanée (tatouage, piercing, dermographie, épilation par électrolyse, rasage), Séance du 15 Septembre 2000
** Recommandations pour la prévention de la transmission des maladies infectieuses [tatouage] Guide à l'usage des professionnels, (11 décembre 2000)
*** Manual Assurance Qualite du SNAT , proposé du 27 juillet 2003
**** Recommendations for regulatory action in the EU on the safety of tattoos, body piercing and of related practices in the EU , on behalf of the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO), Final Draft, Ispra, 19 December 2003

Documents denoted by are available in Portable Document Format (.pdf)