Tattoo vs permanent makeup: what's the difference?

Permanent makeup (PMU) — microblading brows, lip blush, eyeliner tattoos — looks like a tattoo, uses similar equipment, and is regulated under the same laws in most US states. But the craft is meaningfully different and you should not get them from the same person.

A standard tattoo goes 1.5–2mm deep into the dermis where pigment stays for life. PMU is deposited 0.5–1mm in — into the upper dermis only. That's why PMU fades in 1–3 years and tattoos last forever.

PMU pigments are also formulated to fade gently (oxidizing to a warm tone) rather than turning blue-green like a faded tattoo would.

A tattoo artist apprentices 1–3 years inside a shop under a mentor. A PMU artist typically completes a 2–10 day course plus state certification. They are not interchangeable — a tattoo artist is rarely trained in facial pigment work, and a PMU artist is not trained in linework or color theory for body tattoos.

Microbladed brows: $400–$900, retouched every 12–18 months.

Lip blush: $500–$1000, retouched every 2–4 years.

Permanent eyeliner: $400–$700, retouched every 2–3 years.

Body tattoo of similar surface area: $200–$600 one-time.

Want sharper, lower-maintenance brows? PMU specialist (look for a license + portfolio of healed work).

Want a small wrist tattoo? Tattoo artist. Period.

Want to cover an old PMU brow with a fresh one? PMU artist who specializes in corrections.

Never let a body tattoo artist do your eyebrows unless they specifically also practice PMU.