system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What makes permanent marker so permanent?

Paper, wood, metal, skin… why does it hold on almost everything?
gpt
The issue isn't getting it to stick, it's getting it to stay sticking in the presence of water. Water is a pretty good solvent for most things, and permanent markers have a combination of chemicals that don't react that much with water, meaning it stays sticking to whatever it was put on.