Our First 12 Months in Chemist Warehouse, And What We Learned

Tattoo care isn’t niche anymore, and year one proved it.

 

When Ink Nurse launched into Chemist Warehouse last year, we knew Australians were ready for a better way to heal and care for their tattoos.

What we didn’t know was how fast the shift would happen.

In our first 12 months, Ink Nurse generated:

Nearly $4million in retail sales for Chemist Warehouse nationwide,

$1.6 million in wholesale orders across Australia,

Achieved with a marketing spend under 5% of sales.

These numbers weren’t driven by hype or huge ad budgets, they were driven by organic demand, tattoo artist recommendations, and a national shift away from petroleum-heavy creams and outdated wax-heavy balm products.

This first year didn’t just validate Ink Nurse.

It validated the entire tattoo aftercare category.

 

 

1. Tattoo care is no longer a “subculture” product.

 

For years, tattoo aftercare was treated like an afterthought in retail, tucked between baby creams and petrolatum jars.

But consumers are changing.

Australians are:

Moving away from nappy rash creams

Rejecting petroleum and wax-heavy balms

Looking for purpose-built products with botanical, skin-barrier-supporting ingredients

Expecting the same level of formulation quality in tattoo care as they do in skincare.

Ink Nurse’s first-year performance showed retailers that tattoo aftercare has moved beyond niche, it’s now a serious, scalable skincare category. Ink Nurse almost beat out legacy giants like Nivea in “body care” sales.

 

 

 

2. The First Aid aisle has evolved, faster than anyone expected.

Placing Ink Nurse in the First Aid aisle (instead of Beauty) was a bold move — and it worked.

Consumers were willing to hunt for the category, and once they found it, they bought it consistently.

Tattoo aftercare became:

An emerging subcategory within First Aid,

high-performing premium item,

A repeat-purchase driver,

A category that outpaced legacy products many times its age.

Ink Nurse shattered benchmarks for a new category launch, and retailers took notice.

“When tattoo care is accessible and easy to find, people buy it.”

Year one proved that.

3. Premium skin-barrier health is disrupting old healing methods

Tattoo artists across Australia are shifting toward evidence-based aftercare.

Instead of recommending whatever their peers used, artists are now looking for:

Clean, petroleum-free formulations,

Lightweight textures,

Botanical extracts,

Better post-tattoo skin-barrier support,

Faster-feeling recovery without inflammation or clogging.

Ink Nurse’s formulation aligned perfectly with this movement, and that alignment fuelled our nationwide growth.

The message from the community was clear:

People want better healing.

4. Organic demand outperformed paid advertising.

Ink Nurse’s growth wasn’t fuelled by huge budgets — and that’s exactly why it stands out.

Despite minimal marketing spend (<5% of total revenue):

TikTok and IG creators organically showcased the products,

Tattoo studios recommended it without paid partnerships,

Chemist Warehouse shoppers shared it online,

Word-of-mouth remained an incredibly strong driver.

This level of organic traction is rare for a new retail category — and it shows the strength of both the product and the timing.

5. Chemist Warehouse helped establish tattoo care as a mainstream category

One of the biggest contributors to year-one success was our retail partner.

Chemist Warehouse took a chance on a brand that wasn’t yet mainstream, and in return:

They gave tattoo aftercare a dedicated home,

They helped legitimise the category,

They made better tattoo care accessible to millions of Australians,

They supported the rise of a new First Aid subcategory.

We’re proud to be part of their commitment to innovation and consumer health.

6. What this means for the future of Ink Nurse?

Year one was about validation.

Year two is about expansion.

With strong national data, category proof, and enormous community support, we’re now focused on:

Scaling the category nationwide,

Expanding globally through the U.S., U.K., and Europe,

Growing the Ink Nurse product ecosystem,

Continuing to educate consumers and artists,

Leading the move toward petroleum-free tattoo care worldwide.

The foundation is solid — and the opportunity is only getting bigger.

A message from our founder

“To our community, the tattoo artists who trust us, and the Chemist Warehouse team, thank you. You helped prove that tattoo aftercare belongs on the main stage. This is just the beginning.”

- Jason Taylor, Founder of Ink Nurse