Today we are so excited to feature expecting dad, Vandan Shah of Ephemeral Tatoo, a revolutionary tattoo brand that offers real tattoos with no regrets. Learn more about their medically-tested fading ink, becoming an inventor, his expectations as a dad-to-be and much more!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself, your family and your brand.

I was born and raised in the west part of India, in Bharuch, Gujarat. Growing up, my father was working as a chemical engineer in a big petrochemical & fertilizer company. I would often visit him at work and, with each trip, I became more and more fascinated by the vastness and level of complexity of the manufacturing plant. I was in awe of how seamlessly a team of engineers was able to operate the plant. It was a technological marvel.

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Those visits sowed the seed for me to become a chemical engineer and, one day, build my own company (the word “entrepreneur” was not yet in my dictionary at that time). I completed my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in India and came to the US in 2010 to pursue a PhD at New York University (NYU). During my PhD, I was introduced to and ultimately helped co-found, Ephemeral.

Growing up, tattoos were a big no-no in our households. So, when one of our team members came home with his biceps inked in 2014, his mom and dad were furious. But the ordeal of removing it — costly, painful and damaging — sparked an epiphany: What if tattoo ink was made to fade? Stunning tattoos minus the permanence? That should be a thing.

Ephemeral was born to address a question that seemed obvious. You change as your thoughts, likes and beliefs evolve with time, why, then, must your tattoos— essential forms of self-expression— be permanent? Ephemeral changes the future of the tattoo industry by creating a new category of made-to-fade tattoos; thereby welcoming people who have been deterred by permanence.

Personally, I found purpose in being a part of history by being the first to develop an ink like this. It was only when we started to learn more about the industry that we realized the opportunity: not only would we be the first in introducing this unique ink, but we’re shifting the paradigm by making the tattoo industry more accessible and inclusive with a client-first mentality, a toxic-free workplace, and a culture where tattoo artists’ skills can thrive.

Did you ever think you were going to be an inventor?

My childhood impression of an inventor came from great scientists like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Graham Bell, Thomas Edison. I never thought I could reach that level with such an honorary title, “inventor”. As I grew up, I realized the modern context of inventing: solving any existing social-economic challenges. Through my research experience at NYU’s protein engineering lab, I honed in on my technology development skills, landing two patents and Ephemeral’s made-to-fade ink.

It's clear that you’re a diverse team—and also hiring a lot of female tattoo artists (which is amazing)! How easy was it to make that decision?

Ephemeral was co-founded almost seven years ago by a team of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Different perspectives and ideas from each team member led to healthy team debates that proved to be instrumental in making important brand decisions and solving critical problems. It was therefore an easy decision to prioritize the diversity of the company as it grew. — from our founding team and the studio staff to our artists, diversity is a key pillar of Ephemeral. We want to be a safe haven for everyone and anyone, and that starts with customers from all walks of life seeing themselves reflected in our team.

The tattoo industry is a male-dominated one— in fact, only one in four tattoo artists are women. Our team worked diligently to give artists who might typically be marginalized a platform. We actually have more women tattoo artists at our Brooklyn studio than men. As we increase the presence of Ephemeral studios geographically, we will continue our efforts in gender and racial equity when it comes to our team.

As a father-to-be, what are you most looking forward to?

My wife, Pooja, and I are very excited to welcome our baby girl in a couple of months. We both come from traditional Indian families and our culture is deeply rooted and valuable to us. While growing up, we celebrated almost all festivals with our loved ones and created lots of beautiful memories to cherish for life. As a father-to-be, I look forward to bringing up my baby girl with our shared values and cultural heritage so that she can create similar memories for herself. I am excited to read bedtime fictional stories to her every night that will fuel the power of her imagination. In this fast-paced digital world, I want to teach her to enjoy the outdoors and learn about nature. Honestly, I am looking forward to reliving my childhood alongside her, but with a bit more appreciation and perspective.

Will you share three of your favorite tattoo designs that have been done at the studio?

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Why is getting a real tattoo that fades within a year especially perfect for parents?

Tattoos have become a mainstream form of self-expression in recent years. Still, the idea of tattoos has generally been disapproved by parents. As a father-to-be, I certainly can identify with their justifications. For one, the permanent aspect of tattoos brings a level of seriousness and commitment that parents want to protect against, at least for their young kids. Secondly, there are very legitimate religious reasons that forbid tattoos— like one of my co-founders whose family is Jewish-Persian. Then of course there’s the idea of general taboo/social customs and ink safety.

Ephemeral really alleviates those concerns. For kids, Ephemeral is the ideal solution— you can get the real experience of a tattoo from a real tattoo artist, express yourself in a moment, and feel trendy without the permanent repercussions. We’ve had a lot of parents reach out to us sharing that they see this as a perfect solution for their young kids.

Where can we find you?