Best Tattoo Aftercare Balm: Mad Rabbit vs Dr Pickles vs Penguin Tattoo Co
There are a lot of tattoo aftercare products on the Australian market. Most of them are fine. Some of them are genuinely good. A handful are worth going out of your way for.
This comparison covers three balms that regularly come up in conversations about what actually works: Mad Rabbit, Dr Pickles, and Penguin Tattoo Co’s Hold Fast Balm. We’ve used all three on healing tattoos. We’re also the team behind Penguin Tattoo Co, so we’ll be upfront about that — but we’ll be equally upfront about where the other products do things well.
No sponsored content. No affiliate arrangements with the brands we’re comparing against. Just what we’ve found to be true.
What Makes a Good Tattoo Aftercare Balm
Before getting into the comparison, it’s worth establishing what we’re actually looking for. A good tattoo aftercare balm should do a few specific things:
It should absorb into the skin rather than sitting on top of it. A product that creates a heavy occlusive layer on healing skin traps heat and bacteria — the opposite of what you want.
It should hydrate without over-hydrating. The goal is skin that’s moisturised and supple, not skin that’s wet and sealed off from air.
It should have a clean ingredient list. Fragrance is the most common irritant in skincare products and has no place on healing skin. Lanolin, found in products like Bepanthen, causes reactions in a meaningful percentage of people. A shorter list of quality ingredients is almost always better than a long list of synthetics.
It should be formulated for tattoo healing specifically — not repurposed from another category like nappy rash, eczema, or general wound care.
With that in mind, here’s how the three compare.
Mad Rabbit Tattoo Balm
Mad Rabbit is an American brand that’s built a strong reputation in the tattoo aftercare space, largely through social media and a genuinely good product. It’s available in Australia through select retailers and online, though shipping times and costs from the US are worth factoring in if you’re ordering direct.
The formula: Mad Rabbit’s balm uses a beeswax base with a blend of plant oils including coconut, sunflower, and jojoba. The ingredient list is relatively clean — no fragrance, no lanolin, no petroleum. Vitamin E is included as an antioxidant.
How it performs: Mad Rabbit absorbs reasonably well for a balm. It’s not as lightweight as a cream, but it doesn’t leave the heavy greasy residue that petroleum-based products do. It performs well during the peeling phase, keeping the skin hydrated without suffocating it.
The downsides: Coconut oil is comedogenic for some people — meaning it can clog pores, which on healing skin can contribute to small pimples or folliculitis around the tattoo. It’s not a common reaction but worth knowing. Availability in Australia is also inconsistent — you’re often paying a premium for international shipping or buying through a third-party retailer at a markup.
Best for: People who want a well-formulated international brand and don’t mind the availability and cost factors.
Dr Pickles Tattoo Aftercare
Dr Pickles is an Australian brand, which already gives it a practical advantage — it’s formulated with Australian climate conditions in mind and is readily available through Australian retailers and studios.
The formula: Dr Pickles uses a water-based formula rather than a traditional balm base, which makes it lighter and faster-absorbing than beeswax or petroleum alternatives. The ingredient list includes panthenol (vitamin B5), which has genuine wound-healing support in the research, along with aloe vera and a range of botanical extracts. Fragrance-free.
How it performs: The lighter texture makes Dr Pickles a good option for people who find balms too heavy or who are healing tattoos in warmer weather — relevant for most of Australia for most of the year. It absorbs quickly, doesn’t leave residue, and the panthenol content is legitimately useful for healing skin.
The downsides: The lighter formula means it may need more frequent application than a heavier balm, particularly in the first week when the skin is going through the most active healing. Some people find they need to apply it four times a day rather than two to three.
Best for: People in warmer climates, people with oilier skin who find balms too heavy, and people who prioritise quick absorption.
Penguin Tattoo Co — Hold Fast Balm
Hold Fast Balm is our product, made in small batches in a TGA-registered Australian facility. We’ve formulated it specifically for Australian conditions — which means accounting for a climate that ranges from Perth summers to Melbourne winters, and skin that’s dealing with UV exposure at the higher end of the global scale.
The formula: Hold Fast uses a base of shea butter and sunflower seed oil — both chosen for their fatty acid profiles that closely match the skin’s natural lipids, which supports absorption and skin barrier repair rather than just coating the surface. Vitamin E as an antioxidant. No fragrance, no lanolin, no petroleum, no synthetic preservatives. The full ingredient list is on the product page.
How it performs: The shea and sunflower base gives Hold Fast a texture that sits between a lightweight cream and a traditional balm — substantial enough to last between applications, light enough to absorb without leaving residue. It performs consistently through all phases of healing, from the first wash through the peeling phase and into the weeks-two-to-three settling period.
The honest part: We built this product because we couldn’t find an Australian-made balm we were happy recommending. That’s a genuine reason, not a marketing line. We also test it on our own healing tattoos, which keeps us honest about what it actually does.
Best for: People who want an Australian-made, TGA-facility manufactured product with a clean, minimal ingredient list.
Side by Side
| Mad Rabbit | Dr Pickles | Hold Fast Balm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in | USA | Australia | Australia |
| Base | Beeswax / plant oils | Water-based | Shea / plant oils |
| Fragrance-free | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lanolin-free | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Absorption | Medium | Fast | Medium-fast |
| Australian availability | Limited | Wide | Direct / select studios |
| Best phase | All phases | Active healing | All phases |
What About Bepanthen?
Bepanthen deserves its own mention because it’s still what a significant number of Australian studios recommend, largely out of habit rather than evidence.
Bepanthen is a nappy rash cream. Its active ingredient is panthenol — the same vitamin B5 found in Dr Pickles and other purpose-formulated aftercare products — but it’s suspended in a heavy petroleum base with lanolin that was designed to create a moisture barrier on a baby’s skin, not to support tattoo healing.
The petroleum base doesn’t absorb — it sits on top of the skin and creates exactly the kind of occlusive layer that traps heat and bacteria during healing. Lanolin is a known sensitiser that causes contact dermatitis reactions in a portion of the population.
There are tattoo artists who still swear by it and whose clients heal fine. But there are better options purpose-built for the job, and the active ingredient that makes Bepanthen effective is available in cleaner formulations.
The Bottom Line
If you’re in Australia and want a product that’s been made here, formulated for the job, and doesn’t cost you international shipping: Hold Fast Balm or Dr Pickles are both solid choices. Dr Pickles for a lighter texture, Hold Fast for something with a bit more staying power between applications.
If you want an internationally recognised brand with a clean formula and don’t mind sourcing it: Mad Rabbit is genuinely good.
Whatever you choose, the application method matters as much as the product. Thin layers, two to three times a day, on clean dry skin. No product compensates for getting that wrong.
We also have Stand Fast Aftercare Cream – a lighter daily moisturiser designed for the weeks-two-through-three phase and for long-term tattoo maintenance. More on that separately.