Even though the Gen Z and millennial demographic may want to be viewed as unconventional avant-garde trend setters, deep down many are risk averse toward committing to anything too permanent. They want the freedom to move from job to job, or from city to city, and to even remain fluid with their gender identity. When they do express their unique individuality on a rebellious whim, they still want to feel they have a safe space element. This could very well be why Ephemeral Tattoo, the tattoo studio that uses ink that fades away within nine to 15 months, is gaining buzz as the next hot thing.
After raising $20M from a funding round led by Anthos Capital LP last year, shortly after opening its first studio in Brooklyn, N.Y., the temporary tattoo shop brand has since opened five more studios around the country. The newest shop is expected to open by November in Miami. Future studios are anticipated by early 2023 in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and new rumored locations being eyed for expansion include Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, Ore., San Diego and Denver. Its studios are in the 1,800- to 5,000-s.f. range and are in retail street-front spaces with heavy foot traffic, frequently just off main and main.
Co-tenants tend to be brands that attract the holistic and artistic-minded customer, such as vintage clothing shops, like Buffalo Exchange, yoga studios, such as CorePower Yoga, health-oriented grocers, including Trader Joe’s, and impulse buy treat shops, such as Insomnia Cookies. As the first retailer offering this non- permanent tattoo technology, Ephemeral Tattoo appears poised and ready to offer short-term body art options for those afraid of long-term commitments.
