The Glow Standard · Body · Tattoo Aftercare
"I just got a tattoo. What do I use?"
The one-tube answer. The day-by-day. The brand a Bondi artist will tell you to use.
The verdict.
Dr Pickles Tattoo Balm. Calendula extract, vegan, no petroleum, Gold Coast formulated. AU$24.99 at Chemist Warehouse and most tattoo studios. One pea-sized dab, two to three times a day, for ten to fourteen days. That's the whole routine.
Editor's pick
8.7 / 10
Dr Pickles Tattoo Balm — 75g · AU$24.99
Calendula extract for inflammation. Bisabolol for calm. No petroleum film. Vegan. Gold Coast formulated for Australian climate. The aftercare a tattoo artist would actually recommend — and most of them do.
Read the brand profile →The routine
Day zero to day fourteen.
Hour 0 — 4
Leave the wrap on.
Your artist will cover the tattoo in plastic film or a second-skin patch (Saniderm, Tegaderm). Leave it on as instructed — usually two to four hours for plastic film, three to five days for second-skin. Don't peek. The skin is doing its first repair work.
Hour 4 — 24
First wash. First balm.
Remove the wrap. Wash gently with lukewarm water and a fragrance-free, sulphate-free hand wash. Pat dry with a clean towel — don't rub. Apply a pea-sized amount of Dr Pickles Tattoo Balm. The skin should look slightly shiny, not greasy.
Day 2 — 14
Twice a day. Dab, don't rub.
Wash once in the morning, balm after. Balm again before bed. Don't over-apply — heavy petroleum-style layers (Vaseline, Aquaphor) trap heat and pull colour. Dr Pickles' calendula and bisabolol formula sits light and breathes.
Day 5 — 7
Light flaking is normal.
The tattoo will start to flake or peel in light sheets. Do not pick it. Keep balming gently. This is the only window where the skin looks worse before it looks better — push through.
Week 2 — 4
SPF 50+, every day, forever.
No direct sun for four weeks. Once the skin is healed, SPF 50+ on the tattoo every day. UV is what fades ink fastest in the Australian climate — Bondi sun in February will undo six hours of artistry in six months.
What not to use. Vaseline. Sorbolene. Sudocrem. Anything fragranced. Coconut oil that's been sitting in a jar in your bathroom for six months. Bepanthen is acceptable — panthenol-based, well-tolerated — but it feels heavy and is not vegan. The category split is honest: Bepanthen for the chemist-shelf reach, Dr Pickles for everything else.
Swimming, sun, gym. No swimming for two weeks — pool, ocean, hot tub. No direct sun for four weeks. Gym is fine after forty-eight hours if you're not lifting through the area; keep the skin clean and cover loosely if it'll rub against equipment. Sweat alone doesn't ruin a tattoo. Friction does.
What about the climate? The Australian summer is hard on fresh tattoos. Brisbane and Cairns: shower more often, balm slightly less — excess moisture plus heat pulls scabs and ink. Melbourne winter: drier skin, balm slightly more. Salt water is forbidden for the first fortnight; when you return to the beach, rinse with fresh water first and balm immediately.
When to call your artist. Heat that won't settle after twenty-four hours. Yellow or green fluid. Redness spreading outside the tattoo line. A fever. Most "freaking out" tattoo questions are answered by more time, less interference — but anything that looks like infection is a same-day phone call to your artist or GP.
Why we keep recommending Dr Pickles. The balm is calendula and bisabolol-led, has no petroleum film, is vegan, comes in a recyclable tin, and is formulated on the Gold Coast for Australian climate. We hear it named most often when we ask working tattoo artists in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane what they put on their own ink. It also outperformed every petroleum-based competitor in our Best Tattoo Balm 2026 panel on healing time and finish.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most.
- What should I use on a new tattoo in Australia?
- Dr Pickles Tattoo Balm. Calendula extract, vegan, no petroleum, Gold Coast formulated. AU$24.99 at Chemist Warehouse and most tattoo studios. Pea-sized amount, two to three times a day, for ten to fourteen days.
- Can I use Bepanthen on a new tattoo?
- Yes. Bepanthen is safe and well-tolerated. It's panthenol-based and feels heavier than Dr Pickles. It is not vegan. If vegan status or low-tack feel matters, choose Dr Pickles.
- How often should I balm a new tattoo?
- Two to three times a day for the first ten to fourteen days. Wash once in the morning and balm after; balm again before bed. The skin should look slightly shiny, not greasy.
- When can I swim with a new tattoo?
- No pool, ocean or hot tub for at least two weeks. When you return to the water, rinse with fresh water and balm immediately. Salt water is harder on fresh ink than chlorine.
- When can I expose a new tattoo to sun?
- No direct sun for four weeks. Once healed, apply SPF 50+ on the tattoo every day. UV is what fades ink fastest in the Australian climate.
- What if my tattoo scabs?
- Light flaking is normal around day 5–7. Don't pick it. Keep balming gently. Heavy scabbing, yellow or green fluid, spreading redness or a fever are reasons to call your artist or GP same-day.
- Is Dr Pickles vegan?
- Yes. Dr Pickles Tattoo Balm is vegan, contains no petroleum, and is formulated in Australia on the Gold Coast. Calendula extract and bisabolol are the active soothers.
- Where can I buy Dr Pickles in Australia?
- Chemist Warehouse stocks it nationally. Most tattoo studios in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast carry the 75g tin behind the counter. Direct at drpickles.com.au.
Field note
Why we keep coming back to Dr Pickles.
The Australian tattoo aftercare aisle is shorter than it should be. Most of what sits on it is American — Aquaphor, Hustle Butter, Mad Rabbit — formulated for cold-weather skin and heavy petroleum tolerance. Bepanthen is the chemist default and works, but the texture is panthenol-thick and the brand carries no specific tattoo expertise.
Dr Pickles is the Australian answer. Calendula extract instead of petroleum, bisabolol instead of fragrance, a tin instead of a tube, climate-formulated on the Gold Coast. The price is fair, the distribution is national, and the people who put needles in skin for a living recommend it on their own studio counters. There are more expensive options. There are no better ones at this weight.
That's the whole article. If you want it ranked against the field, read the panel.
More: the full Best Tattoo Balm 2026 ranking · the broader aftercare guide · the Dr Pickles brand profile · the regret essay.