The Best Tattoo Soaps, According to Dermatologists
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After a tattoo session ends, the responsibility of caring for it begins. Upkeep is necessary to keep tattoos handsome and healthy, whether it’s a bicep mural or an ironic scribble on the thigh. Tattoo soaps, formulated specifically for fresh ink, can help keep dirt and grime away from the wound and help support the healing process.
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Not just any soap will do, though the good news is that the best soaps for tattoos aren’t particularly expensive or fancy. We’re talking drugstore brands — nothing that necessitates a substantial investment of money or time to secure. The cost, no matter what, is much less than the potential pain or embarrassment of a dirty or infected tattoo.
What the Experts Say
Sources within tattooing and dermatology are united in their opinion that the simplest tattoo soaps are the best. For this story, SPY interviewed Dr. Bruce Katz, director of the JUVA Skin & Laser Center and member of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Mikhail Andersson, tattoo artist and owner of First Class Tattoos in New York City, to help sort through the best tattoo soaps available now.
Katz rejects the somewhat inflated claims of soaps marketed toward recent tattoo recipients. “There’s no magic to using any specific types of soaps, because that’s unnecessary. I just would make sure they’re not fragrance-based, because some people react to fragrances, and [something] very mild because if they’re using harsh strong soaps or antibacterial soaps, that can cause a reaction.”
Andersson agrees. “For soaps we recommend anything non-scented and fragrance-free,” he says, citing both bar and liquid options. Andersson says both antibacterial and non-antibacterial soaps can work as long as they don’t have a fragrance, but Katz says the former is unnecessary.
“We recommend antibacterial soaps when people have skin infections,” Katz says. “But on normal skin, this is a marketing thing. On normal skin, you don’t need an antibacterial soap unless you’re getting a lot of exposure to mud and dirt and things like that or you have open wounds.” He adds that antibacterial soap is, by definition, not mild.
The Best Tattoo Soaps for Aftercare
BEST OVERALL
Dove Beauty Bar Sensitive Skin
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The Dove Beauty Bar made its American debut 66 years ago and has been a staple in drugstores ever since — and with good reason. Its patented blend of mild cleansers and 25 percent moisturizer is gentle and effective for most skin types. Katz recommends the convenient bar soap to his patients because of the added moisturizer, but urges patients to choose the fragrance-free version for washing fresh tattoos.
It’s also free of parabens and sulfate cleansers, pH balanced, plant-based, and hypoallergenic, so it should work well on nearly all skin types.
BEST LIQUID
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
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Made For: Skin that doesn’t dry out. “Liquid soaps often contain alcohol, so they can be more drying for the skin,” says Katz. This Cetaphil cleanser, a standard in drugstores and medicine cabinets, does contain alcohol — though it also contains moisturizers and vitamins — so it’s probably best suited for normal skin (or even oily skin).
Good to Know: When someone gets a tattoo matters in terms of the aftercare. “In the wintertime, people tend to dry out more easily, so liquid soaps are usually not recommended in winter use,” Dr. Katz says. Even for skin that’s normally not dry, a liquid soap might represent an unnecessary risk for winter tattoo care.
BEST MOISTURIZING
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar
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Hot Take: A great tattoo soap is defined more by what it isn’t than what it is. Katz mentions CeraVe as one of a class of “very mild cleansers that don’t irritate the skin.”
Why It Stands Out: Unlike similar options, however, it comes with ingredients beloved in skincare circles, namely ceramides and hyaluronic acid, the latter of which “keeps new tattoos well hydrated and exerts a soothing effect that prevents itching,” according to a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
BEST VALUE
Dr. Bronner Pure Castille Liquid Soap, Baby Unscented
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Made For: Castile soap enthusiasts who insist their soap packaging be covered in text. Andersson says Dr. Bronner’s is good for fresh tattoos, but eschew the standard hemp peppermint version for this unscented one.
Why It Stands Out: Dr. Bronner’s is an oil-based vegetable soap, commonly referred to in the industry as a “green soap.” Long used in the tattoo industry, some artists feel that green soaps do a good job reducing the risk of infection while helping to moisturize the skin.
BEST ANTI-BACTERIAL
Dial Gold
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Hot Take: Far be it from us to disagree with a dermatologist, but upstate New York-based tattoo artist Joe Pepper says that Dial Gold, a fragrance-free antibacterial soap, is a “staple in tattoo aftercare.” Despite dermatologists’ take that antibacterial soap is unnecessary, he recommends it to all his clients.
Made For: Katz says that antibacterial soaps present a greater risk of skin irritation, but that “a lot of exposure to mud and dirt and things like that” can provide a real reason to use antibacterial soap on normal (read: non-infected) skin.
Frequently Asked Questions About Soaps for Tattoos
Why is it important to wash new tattoos?
A tattoo is a series of injections of ink into the skin that inherently cause some damage and bleeding. Infection is a risk, in other words, and keeping a new tattoo clean can help lower that risk.
What’s a reasonable amount to pay for a tattoo soap?
Anywhere from a few dollars to $15 or so for a non-massive jug of liquid soap or a single bar. It’s cheap — unlike a tattoo from an experienced, talented artist (which, let’s be clear, is expensive for a good reason).
I don’t like my new tattoo. Can a tattoo soap help?
Alas, there’s no soap that can remove that less than stellar ink from your skin (or the shame from your psyche). The good news? Lasers exist.
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