I have a few tattoos and I’m working on getting a new piece done on my back, so when I was asked if I wanted to try out some of the new products from Forever Ink it felt as if someone was finally reading my mind.
There are currently 2 items in the Forever Ink range, an Ink Shield, intended for existing tattoos and an Ink Balm which is intended for new pieces of ink. I’ll review the Ink Balm in the next few months.
What can I tell you about Forever Ink’s Ink Shield? Well, I could tell you that it’s been specially designed for everyday care and protection of tattooed skin thanks to its vitamin and antioxidant rich formula. Could you tell I was reading from cue cards?
Those vitamins and antioxidants provide essential hydration which when combined with SPF 45 allows it to effectively defend against the sun’s rays which likes nothing better to do than fade the colour from your expensive ink job.
I can also tell you that the Forever Ink range comes with some celebrity endorsement, from Louis Molloy no less. Louis, in case some of you are scratching your head, is the tattooist responsible for the design of David Beckham’s back-piece, known as The Guardian Angel.
Now I’ve told you all of that, I may as well tell you what I thought of it starting off with my only bugbear about Ink Shield…the price.
With a recommended retail price of £12.99 for 50g it’s not cheap and whilst a little goes a long way, if you have full sleeves or back pieces you may decide this is too expensive for everyday use, never mind the apply twice a day recommendation.
As we’ve been gifted with some glorious sunny weather the last few months I decided to try Ink Shield on just one tattoo so that I could try and see if there was a difference.
First impressions of Forever Ink’s Ink Shield were positive, it goes on easily, is absorbed quickly and there’s no fragrance to speak of. It’s much lighter than a traditional sun screen and doesn’t feel sticky at all.
Having only used 2 tubes I can’t talk about long term benefits of Ink Shield but it certainly feels like the colours are a bit more vivid than the one I used regular moisturiser/sun screen on.
Given the price I’d probably be more amenable to using Ink Shield on new ink as I’m not convinced there’s much that can be done to protect 20 year old tattoos. I may be wrong but I don’t have enough loose change kicking around to find out.
You’ll find Forever Ink’s Ink Shield at Boots, Amazon, thehealthcounter.com, independent pharmacies and tattoo studios across the UK.