What's Actually in Ink Nurse Remedy Cream? A Full Ingredient Breakdown

If you are the type who reads the label before putting something on freshly tattooed skin, this is for you. Below is the complete ingredients list for Ink Nurse Remedy Cream exactly as it appears on the pack, along with a plain explanation of what each ingredient is and why it is in there. No selective editing, no leaving out the boring bits.

The Full Ingredients List

Aqua (purified water), organic aloe vera leaf juice, fractionated coconut oil, organic cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, ceteareth-20, glycerine, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, xanthan gum, bisabolol, rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, persea gratissima (avocado) oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extract, tocopherol.

One thing worth knowing about how ingredient lists work. They are ordered by concentration from highest to lowest, at least down to the one percent mark. So aloe vera leaf juice sitting second, ahead of everything except water, tells you it makes up a substantial part of the formula rather than being a token inclusion.

The Base

Aqua (purified water). Ink Nurse is a water-based cream rather than an oil or ointment base, which is why it spreads thin and does not leave the heavy film you get from a petroleum ointment.

Organic aloe vera leaf juice. The second ingredient by volume. Aloe is a water-based botanical traditionally used on skin, and it carries polysaccharides that hold water.

The Oils and Butters

Fractionated coconut oil and organic coconut oil. Two forms of the same plant oil doing slightly different jobs. Fractionated coconut oil has had the longer-chain fats removed, so it stays liquid and light and absorbs quickly. The organic whole coconut oil is richer and more conditioning.

Shea butter. A classic emollient, meaning it softens skin and improves how it feels. It is what gives the cream its body without needing wax.

Rosehip fruit oil. Rich in essential fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, which is one of the fatty acids the skin's own outer layer is built from.

Avocado oil. A conditioning oil high in fatty acids and naturally containing vitamin E.

Jojoba seed oil. Structurally a liquid wax ester rather than a true oil, and closely similar to the sebum human skin produces itself, which is why it absorbs cleanly rather than sitting greasy on the surface.

The Botanical Actives

Bisabolol. A compound found naturally in chamomile, used in skincare as a skin-conditioning agent. It is a small molecule, which is part of why it is used in leave-on formulas.

Chamomile flower extract. A long-established botanical extract used for its skin-conditioning properties, and the natural source bisabolol comes from.

Tocopherol. Vitamin E. It conditions skin and also works as an antioxidant, helping protect the oils in the formula from going off over time.

The Ingredients That Hold It Together

This is the part most ingredient blogs quietly skip. Every cream needs a system to keep oil and water combined, to give it texture and to stop it growing bacteria in your bathroom. Here is Ink Nurse's.

Cetearyl alcohol. Worth clearing up, because the word alcohol puts people off. This is a fatty alcohol, not the drying kind. It is an emollient that softens skin and gives creams their body, and it behaves nothing like the alcohol in a toner or hand sanitiser.

Cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate. An emulsifier pair derived from olive oil, used together to keep the oil and water phases blended into a stable cream.

Ceteareth-20. A second emulsifier that supports the same job.

Glycerine. A humectant, meaning it attracts water and holds it in the upper layers of the skin. One of the most widely used and best understood hydrating ingredients in skincare.

Xanthan gum. A natural thickener produced by fermentation. It gives the cream its texture and stops it separating.

Phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol. The preservative system. Any water-based product needs one, otherwise it grows bacteria and mould within weeks. This pairing is a widely used, paraben-free combination, and caprylyl glycol also acts as a skin-conditioning agent in its own right.

What Is Not in It

Ink Nurse Remedy Cream is formulated without petroleum, mineral oil or paraffin, without parabens, without added fragrance or parfum, without synthetic colours, and without animal-derived ingredients It is vegan and cruelty-free.

Being petroleum-free means the formula avoids petrolatum and its relatives, which are occlusive ingredients that sit on the skin surface rather than absorbing into it. It is a formulation choice about feel and preference rather than a claim that petroleum is harmful. There is a fuller explanation in Petroleum-Free Tattoo Aftercare: What It Means.

Fragrance

There is no added fragrance or parfum in the formula. Any scent comes from the botanical ingredients themselves. That suits people who prefer a fragrance-free routine on fresh ink, including anyone who finds scented balms and butters too strong on a new tattoo.

Vegan and Cruelty-Free

Ink Nurse is formulated without animal-derived ingredients and is cruelty-free.

Made in Melbourne, and How It Is Tested

Ink Nurse Remedy Cream is made in Melbourne and Australian Made certified, produced to recognised manufacturing and quality standards including GMP and ISO.

The formula goes through stability testing, preservative efficacy testing, which confirms the preservative system actually holds up over the life of the product, and NATA-accredited microbial testing. It also holds EU CPNP registration and FDA MoCRA registration for those markets.

Shelf life on the Remedy Cream is 24 months.

Sizes

Remedy Cream comes in a 50ml travel tub, a 100ml tub, a 500ml pump bottle and 5ml sachets in strips of ten. The 500ml pump works out to the best value per millilitre, while the 100ml tub is the most popular size in Chemist Warehouse.

If You Have Sensitive Skin or Known Allergies

As with any topical product, if you are checking for a specific ingredient because of an allergy or a preference, read the full ingredients list on the pack and patch-test on a small area first.

Follow your tattoo artist's specific aftercare instructions, since advice varies depending on your tattoo and your own healing history. For the full step-by-step on washing, moisturising and protecting a fresh tattoo, see the Tattoo Care Bible, and for how the three products work together, read The Complete 3-Step Ink Nurse Tattoo Aftercare System.

Ink Nurse is available at over 600 Chemist Warehouse stores nationally and at ink-nurse.com. In the United States it is stocked at Spencer's stores nationwide.

People Also Ask

What are the ingredients in Ink Nurse Remedy Cream?

Aqua (purified water), organic aloe vera leaf juice, fractionated coconut oil, organic coconut oil, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, shea butter, ceteareth-20, glycerine, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, xanthan gum, bisabolol, rosehip fruit oil, avocado oil, jojoba seed oil, chamomile flower extract and tocopherol.

Does Ink Nurse contain coconut oil?

Yes. The formula contains both fractionated coconut oil and organic coconut oil, listed third and fourth on the ingredients list.

Is Ink Nurse petroleum-free?

Yes. It is formulated without petroleum, mineral oil or paraffin-based ingredients.

Does Ink Nurse contain fragrance?

No. There is no added fragrance or parfum in the formula. Any scent comes from the botanical ingredients themselves.

Is Ink Nurse vegan?

Yes. It is formulated without animal-derived ingredients.

How long does Ink Nurse Remedy Cream last?

Shelf life is 24 months.