We get asked what makes an aftercare product "artist approved." The honest answer is that there is no such certification, and any brand using that phrase is describing marketing rather than a standard. What does exist is a fairly consistent set of things artists complain about. Those are worth knowing whether you buy from us or not.
What artists actually object to
Petroleum. The old default was A&D or plain petroleum jelly, and plenty of shops still hand it out. The objection is not that it harms the tattoo directly, it is that it seals the skin completely, holds fluid against a wound and makes a client more likely to come back with a patchy heal that needs touching up. Touch-ups cost the artist chair time.
Fragrance. Added parfum is one of the more common causes of contact dermatitis, and broken skin is exactly the wrong place to find out you react to something. Most artists would rather a product smell of nothing than smell nice.
Too much product. Thick, greasy balms encourage clients to apply thick, greasy layers. Artists would rather the texture itself discourage over-application.
Clients not using it. The most common complaint of all. An aftercare product that sits unopened on a bedside table because it feels unpleasant is worse than a cheap one that gets used twice a day.
What they ask of a product they stock
Shops that sell aftercare at the front desk are running a small retail business on the side, and the criteria shift accordingly: margin that justifies the shelf space, packaging that survives a counter, a product that does not separate or go rancid between restocks, and a brand that will not embarrass them. An artist recommending something is putting their own judgement behind it.
Where we are with the pro side
We are building the wholesale and pro programme now, and we are not going to pretend it is further along than it is. We do not currently have a list of studios we can name, and until we do we are not going to imply otherwise.
What we built the formula against is the list above: plant oils and butters with beeswax for breathability rather than petroleum for a seal, no added fragrance, and a texture firm enough that a pea-sized amount is obviously the right dose. It is not vegan, because beeswax is an animal product and we are not going to fudge that.
A second product, specifically for the chair
Aftercare and in-session glide are different jobs. A glide has to reduce drag for hours, sit on skin that is actively being worked, and crucially not lift a stencil. We are developing one, and stencil compatibility is the thing it will live or die on.
If you run a studio and want to be involved in testing that, the wholesale page is the fastest way to reach us. Honest feedback from someone with a machine in their hand is worth more to us than another paragraph of copy.
