Tattoo sun protection stick, SPF50+ (Australian Gold Tattoo Stick)

A tattoo, especially a colour one, deserves dedicated sun protection whenever you’re in the sun. The Tattoo Stick SPF 50+ is made for exactly that. It’s a tattoo sun cream in stick form, with SPF 50+, the highest sun protection category.

It protects both the tattooed skin and the tattoo colours. It’s a must for anyone with tattoos, and even more so for colour tattoos. As well as protecting it, the stick gives the tattooed area superior hydration.

UV rays break down the ink pigments. With every exposure, some of the colour particles in the skin are degraded: colours fade, black turns grey and lines lose their sharpness. The UV from a sunbed acts like the sun’s: a tattoo exposed at every session is damaged a little more each time.

That’s the main use of the tattoo stick: applied to the tattoo just before your session, its SPF 50+ filter blocks UV on the design, while the rest of your body tans as normal. The stick targets the tattoo only: apply your tanning accelerator to the rest of your skin as usual.

The stick format makes life easier. The Tattoo Stick SPF 50+ is the size of three lip balms: it fits in a jeans pocket, a beach bag or a gym bag. No leaking bottle, no greasy hands: aim at the tattoo, apply the moisturising stick and you’re done. Arm, calf, shoulder or wrist: every tattoo is covered in one stroke. It’s the easy way to protect a tattoo on a sunbed as well as during a day outdoors, in town or on the beach. And that’s exactly what makes it ideal on a sunbed: you protect the design without going over onto the skin you want to tan.

The tattoo stick has a water-free formula that combines a mineral filter with plant oils and butters.

• Zinc oxide: the mineral UV filter in the formula (SPF 50+).
• Coconut oil and sunflower oil: the two plant oils that form the base of the stick.
• Cocoa butter and shea butter: two plant butters behind the stick’s moisturising action.
• Castor oil, jojoba oil and squalane: emollients that complete the formula.
• Aloe vera and vitamin E (tocopherol): two classics of Australian Gold suncare.

The full ingredient list (INCI) is shown in its own section on this page.

Use the stick like a lip balm: twist up a little product and apply it directly to the tattooed area, over the whole design, going only just beyond its edges. On a sunbed, apply it just before your session, then your accelerator on the rest of your body. In the sun, apply it before exposure and reapply during the day. As it’s pocket-sized, you can always have it with you.

Can I use the tattoo stick on a sunbed?

Yes, that’s actually its main use. Applied to the tattoo before your session, the stick blocks the sunbed’s UV on the design: the ink is protected and the rest of your body tans as normal. Don’t apply the stick to areas you want to tan, as its filter would stop them from getting darker.

Why does UV damage a tattoo?

UV rays, from the sun or from a sunbed, break down the ink pigments in the skin. Over repeated exposures, colours fade and outlines become less sharp. Protecting your tattoo at every exposure keeps its colours bright for longer.

How do I protect my tattoo in the sun?

With dedicated, high-SPF sun protection, applied to the tattooed skin before sun exposure. That’s the job of Australian Gold’s Tattoo Stick SPF 50+: it protects your skin and your tattoo colours, and its pocket size makes it easy to apply anywhere.

Which sun cream is best for a tattoo?

Australian Gold’s Tattoo Stick is made for it: SPF 50+, the highest protection, in a stick format that targets the tattoo precisely.

Does the Australian Gold tattoo stick protect colours?

Yes. The SPF 50+ stick protects your skin and your tattoo colours from the sun, which is why it’s especially recommended for colour tattoos.

Does the tattoo sun stick moisturise the skin?

Yes. As well as sun protection, the stick provides superior hydration, thanks to a formula rich in plant oils and butters (coconut, cocoa, shea, jojoba).

How big is the Australian Gold tattoo stick?

The stick contains 14g, about the size of three lip balms. It fits easily in a pocket.