Are Highlighters Water Based?

Marker highlighters are the most significant part of our childhood. From underlining the critical lines in the book to coloring our nails, we have used highlighters in different ways.

But have you ever thought about what a highlighter is made of? Are highlighters water based? It is expected to get these types of questions in our childhood. This article answers all the questions in your head about highlighters that were distracting you from studying.

Well, there are water-based highlighters available on the market with good coverage. However, the ingredients of highlighters will decide if they’re toxic or non-toxic.

If you have used highlighters on your skin, you will be concerned about the ingredients of highlighters. Let’s dig into this article to determine whether highlighters are water-based or not.

What Is a Highlighter?

Almost everyone is familiar with highlighters during their academic years. A highlighter is one kind of pen that is used to overlay on top of texts to highlight them. Usually, highlighters come in neon green, neon pink, or neon orange so that they can easily highlight any text in the book.

Highlighting any text will draw attention to a particular line, so our eyes can easily catch it during revisions. Highlighters come in various forms including gel highlighters, dry highlighters, and liquid highlighters.

The consistency of highlighters also depends on what kind of highlighter you use. Most people prefer using liquid highlighters because they are easy to find and easy to use.

Are Highlighters Water Based?

Some highlighters are water-based, but not all. Water-based highlighters are best for classrooms, conference rooms, posters, canvases, etc. People mainly use three types of highlighters. Liquid highlighter is one of them, which is water-based. From students to office employees, everyone prefers using liquid highlighters because of their water-based solution.

Water-based highlighters quickly dry out and do not bleed through paper. The best part is a hack where you can remove liquid highlighter with lemon juice. Simply dip a q-tip into the lemon juice and rub it on the highlighter. Because liquid highlighters are water-based, the lemon juice quickly and easily removes the ink from the text without ruining it.

Liquid highlighters are water-based because they stand out in text and help to draw attention. Other types of highlighters do not have bright neon colors like water-based highlighters. Water-based highlighters contain a substance called fluorescent dye, which makes them brighter and gives them a neon color.

Most manufacturers are now producing water-based highlighters instead of alcohol-based to prevent ink from bleeding through paper. Alcohol-based highlighters fade easily and seep through papers. Moreover, water-based highlighters are non-toxic, give sheer coverage, have bright colors, and dry quickly.

Also Read: Fixing a Gel Pen Skipping Problem

What Is Highlighter Made Of?

Water-based highlighter ink is made with water and a glycol solvent. As you already know, water-based highlighters contain fluorescent dye. The primary pigment, 5% fluorescent dye, is in the highlighter ink to give them a bright neon color.

Other chemicals were later added to give the highlighter different colors. The chemical structure and the dye make the highlighter absorb light in the ultraviolet portion.

Some water-based highlighters also contain a biocide to prevent getting attacked by fungi and bacteria. The bright and different colors of highlighters have distinct chemicals to make them different.

For neon yellow highlighters, the manufacturer uses xanthene and mixes it with coumarine. To achieve the bright neon green color, they combine pyrene-based dyes with Triphenylmethane dyes.

Moreover, blue highlighters also contain triphenylmethane dyes with fluorescent dye. The manufacturer uses rhodamine dyes with triphenylmethane dyes to make pink highlighters. Most highlighters have these chemicals to achieve bright neon colors.

See How Amazingly Highlighter Pens Are Made:

Are Highlighters Water Soluble?

Highlighters are water-soluble because of their chemical name, “fluorescent”. Fluorescent is a water-soluble compound that easily dissolves in water. Note that some highlighters are water-soluble, but not all.

Gel-based highlighters are not water soluble because they do not contain fluorescent. Being water-soluble helps highlighters dissolve in water quickly and you can easily remove their stains from clothes.

However, you cannot wash out highlighter stains totally from the clothing. The stain will fade away because it’s water-soluble but will not go away completely.

Continue Reading: Technique of Revive a Gel Pen

Can I Add Water to Highlighter?

Have you ever thrown away a highlighter because it dried out? You could’ve easily saved your highlighter by adding a small amount of water. You would be surprised to know that you can add water to a highlighter, despite it being a water-based highlighter.

You can re-use the highlighter after adding a few drops of water to the nib. However, because the water dilutes some colors, the highlighter will not be as bright as before. After adding a few drops of water, the highlighter will still go for a long run.

See What Happens After Adding Water to Highlighter:

Final Thoughts

Highlighters have contributed to our academic life and helped us see essential lines. Many people wonder, ‘are highlighters water-based’. Because every time we draw a line, the textbook page gets a little wet. Even highlighting the same spot repeatedly with a highlighter can tear the textbook page.

So, it is clear that liquid highlighters are water-based. We would recommend you use water-based highlighters for your classroom, board, office, and other places to highlight texts. Highlighting calendars, textbooks, and notebooks wouldn’t be the same without water-based highlighters.