The famed tattoo artist Doctor Woo (whose work graces the skin of many celebrities and notables) developed a skin care line a few years ago, including this aftercare number. The calming treatment contains natural wonder ingredients like vitamin E, shea butter, chamomile, and sesame seed oil. But the star of the show is a very cool water-breaking technology that encapsulates and removes excess water while maintaining optimal hydration of the skin.

Aftercare Moisturizer, Project Woo ($25)

A natural calm that comes recommended by derms and tattoo artists alike, this contains several ingredients that help and encourage skin to heal, including vitamin E, sunflower oil, rosemary extract, and wheat germ oil. It also contains olive oil, beeswax, and cocoa butter to give it that thicker ointment-like texture.

The Original Aftercare Salve, Tattoo Goo ($9)

This stacked formula supports skin barrier function and epidermal framework reconstruction with its advanced biotic ingredients (notably the pre- and postbiotics). What does this mean? It's particularly great at soothing inflammation and encouraging healthy skin restoration. The rest of the formula is impressive for its skin-calming abilities too: ubiquinol, shea butter, coconut oil, oat oil, and more. 

postbiotic body lotion, mindbodygreen ($30)

Coconut oil is a simple, effective, and multiuse option that many people already have around the house. The oil is naturally hydrating (thanks to its water content), occlusive, and contains fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that are able to nourish and restore skin health. 

100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Shea Moisture ($15.99)

Here are some good buzzwords to look for: repair, restore, protect. All of these indicate the formula was designed to bolster delicate skin, and freshly tattooed skin can certainly fall under that category. This uses a blend of soothing base aloe vera and 100% pure argan oil to hydrate and condition—additionally it contains medical-grade colloidal oat, which is an effective healing active for irritated skin.

Intensive Daily Repair Body Butter, Josie Maran ($46)

This little number not only makes the rounds as an aftercare ointment, but it comes loaded with high praise from makeup artists, derms, and other beauty-adjacent professionals. We suspect it has something to do with its simple but effective ingredient list: castor oil, glycerin, and hydrogenated castor oil. That's it. And a not-so-small feat. It outperforms other leading petroleum-based ointments in clinical trials.

Restore Healing Balm, Doctor Rogers ($30)

I often give the advice that if you're looking for sensitive-skin-safe cream, those that are formulated to deal with eczema will be an easy indicator that it will work for you. This body lotion helps calm skin and even reduces tightness and itchiness, two common complaints associated with newly tattooed skin. 

Eczema+ Extra Strength Body Cream, SkinFix ($38)

We'd be remiss not to include a few sunscreens on this list in the event you need a new option to cover your design for a day in the rays. This non-nano zinc oxide is gentle enough for babies, so we'd call it safe enough for ink too. This contains a host of hydrating ingredients, too, like plant-derived squalane, fatty acids, and antioxidants. 

Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, Pipette ($15)

This is a skin care professional favorite. The mineral formula not only protects skin from the harmful UV rays, but it has the added benefit of calming inflammation. Additionally, this uses organic actives like green tea extract, cucumber extract, and pomegranate seed oil. 

Unscented Natural Mineral Sunscreen, Suntegrity ($24)