The Best Tattoo Aftercare Products, According to Dermatologists
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Deciding what tattoo to get (and where) is hard; deciding to take care of it is easy. Enter: tattoo aftercare products, which give a new tattoo the best chance at healing properly and lasting as long as possible. (They’re also essential for the one-third of Americans who already have a tattoo, and the 22% who have more than one.)
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The best tattoo aftercare products require a relatively small investment of money and time, but the payoff compared to healing inflamed, angry skin makes them more than worthwhile. And while there are some brands marketed specifically for tattoo aftercare, a regimen made entirely of medicine cabinet staples can produce great results without the markup.
A good bar of soap, ointment, lotion, and sunscreen are all that’s needed to get you 99% of the way there. They can all be picked up at most local drugstores or large box stores, and making sure they’re all on hand before the first needle goes in is a good idea.
What the Experts Say
For this story, SPY interviewed Dr. Bruce Katz, director of the JUVA Skin & Laser Center and member of the American Academy of Dermatology, and tattoo artists including Luke Zampas to help sort through the best tattoo aftercare products available now.
“Make sure they’re not fragrance-based,” says Katz of tattoo soap and aftercare products more generally, as fragrances are at best unnecessary for tattoo aftercare and at worst harmful because they can cause a reaction in skin that’s already in a fragile state. Zampas agrees. “I always recommend using lotions or soaps that do not contain dyes or fragrance,” he says. “Your tattoo is an open wound and dyes/fragrance can cause irritation and interrupt the healing process.”
Katz urges caution when evaluating the ambitious claims of many of the products marketed explicitly toward the recently tattooed. “There’s no magic to them — it’s a marketing thing,” he says.
Tattoo Aftercare: A Quick Overview
Understanding how all of these products fit into a tattoo recovery plan is the key to success. Zampas uses an aftercare wrap — essentially a transparent Band-Aid — on new tattoos for 1-5 days. During that time, he recommends touching the tattoo as little as possible. After that’s removed, he recommends soap and water and a light layer of ointment to rehydrate the tattoo.
A week or two after that, he recommends switching from ointment to an equally light layer of lotion and keeping it out of the sun until fully healed. Once the tattoo has fully scabbed over, he urges folks to use an SPF 30 sunscreen (higher SPF won’t add protection) that blocks UVA and UVB rays.
BEST OVERALL
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
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RK, tattoo artist at Brooklyn studio Atelier Eva, says: “I always recommend a white, unscented dry skin cream like CeraVe because it’s simple and reliable.” Instead of coming out of a pump, this lotion is a thick, scoopable cream that’s easier to apply precisely, with ingredients that support hydration and recovery (including ceramides and hyaluronic acid).
CeraVe can be used anywhere on the skin and it’s a great everyday moisturizer to use on the non-tattooed parts of the body as well. It’s fragrance-free, so it fits Katz’s main criteria, and non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores — a common cause of acne that’s a special pain if it crops up on new ink.
BEST SOAP
Dove Beauty Bar Sensitive Skin
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Made For: Pretty much anyone who’s been recently tatted. The sensitive skin version of the 66-year old soap brand is fragrance-free, pH-balanced, plant-based, and hypoallergenic — so it does the job of cleaning and moisturizing freshly inked skin well while minimizing the chances of a reaction. Katz says that he regularly recommends Dove Beauty Bar to his dermatology patients.
Hot Take: Antibacterial soaps can cause more harm than good, especially when it comes to tattoo aftercare. Katz says he only recommends antibacterial soaps to people who have skin infections. He adds that antibacterial soap is, by definition, not mild, and can therefore cause an unwanted reaction in recently tattooed skin.
BEST OINTMENT
A+D Tattoo Ointment
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Why It Stands Out: Unlike lotions and creams, ointments form a thick, protective barrier to keep skin safe from external forces. Zampas prefers this ointment to other options while tattooing. “Some artists use petroleum jelly and/or Vaseline but I notice those dry out the skin and can cause irritation after hours of wiping.” He also recommends using it in tandem with soap and water after the aftercare wrap is removed or falls off.
Hot Take: This product’s exception to the “tattoo-specific products aren’t worth it” rule is well-earned. This formula has the same lanolin-petroleum formulation of the original, 80-year-old A+D ointment, but just with beeswax, almond oil, and vitamin B5 added. The original will do the trick, but this version is a bit more luxurious.
BEST LOTION
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Moisture Body Lotion
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Made For: All kinds of recently tattooed skin. Zampas says that “unscented Neutrogena lotion is my personal favorite” for tattoo aftercare. This inexpensive lotion is extremely unlikely to cause any kind of reaction, even on freshly inked skin.
Why It Stands Out: This lotion promises 48 hours of hydration — which, according to our extensive calculations, is twice as long as the 24 hours promised by many of its competitors.
BEST SUNSCREEN
Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Sensitive SPF 30+
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Hot Take: Higher SPF isn’t always better. “Studies have shown that an SPF 30 is just as effective as an SPF 100,” Katz says, so there’s no need to spring for pricier, higher-SPF options. He also recommends a sunscreen that contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or avobenzone because they work best at providing full protection from UVA and UVB rays — a must-have feature in a sunscreen.
Why It Stands Out: This sunscreen has two of Katz’s recommended ingredients for full UVA and UVB protection and is fragrance-free. It promises just 40 minutes of water resistance, so don’t forget to reapply often on days spent in the sun.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tattoo Aftercare
Do I really need to take care of this new tattoo?
Unless you want to risk itchiness, infection, and/or fading, it’s important to follow a tattoo aftercare regimen until (and after) your new tattoo has fully healed.
Fine. What do I need to use?
Thankfully, it’s not too complicated. Zampas recommends using soap and water to clean it, ointment before it’s fully healed, lotion once it is healed, and sunscreen for when your new tattoo gets some rays.
Shouldn’t I just buy the tattoo-specific stuff? It has skulls and roses on the back packaging!
It’s typically unnecessary and usually more expensive. Save your money for your next tattoo — or, depending on how things go, your next laser tattoo removal.
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