15 Best Expert-Recommended Tattoo Numbing Creams Of 2024

Tattoos are great ways to express yourself. But the idea of needles drilling into your skin can keep you from creating those much-desired artworks. The best tattoo numbing creams can help you with this situation. We often hear stories of people reaching the salon and canceling the tattoo appointment hearing the ink gun. Some customers article their tattoo experiences as horror stories and make us wonder if it is worth it. They are not wrong about the pain caused by the tattoo devices, but that does not mean you have to give up your plan to get inked.

The tattoo numbing creams are a blessing as they can fulfill your ink dreams without causing any pain or discomfort. Also, these gentle formulas help reduce the chances of any post-tattoo infection. If you do not have a high threshold for pain, that is nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, it is a common situation among many, and that’s why the numbing creams are in place. They work as topical anesthetics and allow you to create the most elaborate designs that manifest the artist within you. So, swipe up and grab the top tattoo numbing creams from our list.

Top Picks	Check Price
Best Water-Based Formula:Ebanel Numb520 Topical Anesthetic Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Anti-Inflammatory:Uber Numb Topical Anesthetic Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Fast-Acting Formula:Numb Master Topical Anesthetic Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Long-Lasting:Numb Maximum Strength Pain Reliever	Price on Amazon
Best Natural Ingredients:Base Laboratories Lidocaine Numbing Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Skin Calming Formula:Lidocaine Plus Maximum Strength Pain Relieving Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Gentle Ingredients:Zensa Numbing Cream	Price on Amazon Price on Walmart
Best Multipurpose Option:Numb Skin Maximum Strength Pain Reliever Cream	Price on Amazon
Best Soothing Effects:Inked Inspired Tattoo Numbing Cream	Price on Amazon
Best All In One:Bravado Labs Topical Anesthetic Cream	Price on Amazon

15 Best Tattoo Numbing Creams For A Painless Experience – 2024

1. Best Water-Based Formula:Ebanel Numb520 Topical Anesthetic Cream

This over-the-counter numbing cream will relieve all the trauma of pain, burning, itching, and soreness while you are getting the tattoo of your dreams. With a strong 5% concentration of lidocaine, this numbing cream sets in action within 2-3 minutes, reaches its peak within 20-25 minutes, and lasts for another hour. Infused with pure aloe vera, vitamin E, lecithin, and allantoin, this tattoo pain relief cream makes the whole process more comfortable. This non-greasy, water-based anesthetic cream is safe for all skin types and is easy to apply and remove. It makes the tattooing process less painful. It has the added safety feature of a secure child-resistant cap. The product does not contain any synthetic or harmful ingredients as well. It is also not tested on animals and is a good fur-friendly option.

2. Best Anti-Inflammatory:Uber Numb Topical Anesthetic Cream

If you have always looked at people’s tattoos enviously but never had the stomach to get one yourself, it’s time to look at one of the best numbing creams for tattoos. You can count on it for maximum pain relief as it contains 5% lidocaine and takes effect rather and numbs your skin for 1 hour. Enriched with a strong anti-inflammatory vitamin C, it prevents painful swelling and also moisturizes your skin, which prevents itching and flaking of the skin. It has a water-based, non-greasy formula, which means you don’t get that icky, cakey feeling and it doesn’t stain or leave an oily residue. This makes it an ideal choice during the tattooing process. Along with this, you can wrap the tattoo in plastic wrap to prevent infections and adverse reactions. The brand does not test on animals, which makes it a good option for all ethically conscious consumers.

3. Best Fast-Acting Formula:Numb Master Topical Anesthetic Cream

If getting inked has always felt like a distant dream, it’s time to try this over-the-counter topical tattoo numbing cream for maximum pain relief. The fast-acting tattoo numbing product contains 5% lidocaine. It takes effect within 20 minutes and lasts for about 2 hours. This painless tattoo numbing cream utilizes liposomal encapsulation technology that is non-invasive, penetrates deeper for greater intracellular delivery, and is encapsulated for maximum strength and efficacy. Its phospholipid bi-layer increases intracellular absorption while protecting the active ingredients. This numbing cream is infused with vitamin E, aloe vera, and lecithin, which are natural soothing ingredients. It comes with a child-resistant cap and a tamper-proof seal and may just be the product you have been looking for. You can also secure the tattoo from infections by wrapping up the tattooed part in plastic wrap or saran wrap.

4. Best Long-Lasting:Numb Maximum Strength Pain Reliever

This anesthetic cream for tattoos is especially formulated for a long-lasting effect. It is quickly absorbed by the skin and set into motion in 15 minutes and works for about 4 hours. Formulated with 5% lidocaine and infused with vitamin E, it provides temporary numbness effectively. It’s 100% cream-based, giving it a smooth texture and consistency and is popular with aestheticians and healthcare professionals. This good numbing cream for tattoos is secured with a child-proof cap and is completely safe for your skin. Multiple reviewers have praised the quick-action formula and its effectiveness. After wiping away the excess cream, ensure to wrap the tattoo in plastic wrap to prevent allergic reactions and aid in the healing process.

5. Best Natural Ingredients:Hush Anesthetic Tattoo Numbing Gel

Most of us postpone that long-desired tattoo because of the pain involved. This product was developed keeping both the tattoo artist and client in mind for a pleasant experience. This long-lasting tattoo numbing gel numbs your skin for about 2 hours, so you can think of going ahead with that big tattoo that you have been dreaming of. It is an efficient blend of botanical extracts like aloe vera, and reduces skin inflammation and redness. It also hastens the healing of the tattoo and is safe, even for the most sensitive skin types. This clear gel has a non-oily formula that guarantees no mess or stain and has the added advantage of coming with a child-proof cap.

6. Best Skin Calming Formula:Base Laboratories Lidocaine Numbing Cream

The deeply penetrating formula of the Base Laboratories Lidocaine Numbing Cream desensitizes the skin and provides a pain-relieving numbing sensation. This medical numbing OTC cream features 5% lidocaine that is effective in reducing discomfort and pain associated with cosmetic procedures such as tattoos, electrolysis, laser hair removal, microblading, lip injections, Microneedling, and tattoo removal. This soothing cream is also enriched with natural ingredients like aloe vera, hemp seed oil, menthol, tea tree oil, and chamomile to provide a skin-calming experience and promote quicker healing. It begins to numb your skin within 15-30 minutes due to its fast-acting formula and maximum effectiveness and lasts up to a couple of hours.

7. Best Gentle Ingredients:Zensa Numbing Cream

Are you still hesitating to book an appointment at a tattoo shop? With 5% lidocaine, this tattoo numbing cream helps in desensitizing your skin in preparation for painful procedures like laser hair removal, waxing, tattoos, and piercings. This skin-numbing cream contains vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which calms itching, burning and stinging, and also helps your skin to heal faster. The gentle ingredients also help calm and soothe the skin. One of the most natural numbing creams in the market, it does not contain vasoconstrictors, and poses no ill-effects on the tattooing as it doesn’t affect the ink, microblading, or waxing. It’s safe for even the most sensitive skin and sensitive areas like the eyes. It takes 30-45 minutes to get absorbed by the skin and its effect lasts for more than 3 hours. This tattoo pain relief cream offers exceptional results, has proven its effectiveness, and a shelf life of 3 years.

8. Best Multipurpose Option:Numb Skin Maximum Strength Pain Reliever Cream

If you are still waiting to get that tattoo that says you are unique, we recommend you try this one as it is considered the most effective tattoo numbing cream, which is used by doctors all over the world, because of its fast action. The skin-numbing cream has the maximum numbing level that prevents the nerves from carrying the pain message to your brain. After a few hours, its effect disappears without causing any harm to your body. It contains 5% lidocaine, which works after about 15-30 minutes and its long-lasting effect lasts up to 4 hours. This cream effectively numbs the pain, making it not only good for painless tattoos but also well for laser hair removal, waxing, nerve pain, and piercings. Multiple reviews have highly praised the product for its lasting effectiveness. This cream is ideal for small medical procedures and larger tattoos for a comfortable experience.

9. Best Soothing Effects:Inked Inspired Tattoo Numbing Cream

Want to make your skin as numb as possible before the needle goes in? You need the Inked Inspired Tattoo Numbing Cream! It includes 5% lidocaine for long-lasting numbness. The cream begins to operate in 5 minutes and can numb the affected region for up to 2 hours. It contains arnica and emu oil, both of which have soothing effects and aid in the recovery of the skin after a painful tattoo procedure. It does not prevent the ink from setting and has no effect on the color. This skin-numbing cream is not only effective for tattoos but also for a number of painful treatments such as waxing, microblading, and lip injections. It promotes a pain-free tattoo experience with its 5 percent lidocaine.

10. Best All In One:Bravado Labs Topical Anesthetic Cream

This deep penetrating topical cream will never allow you to stress over pain again! It’s perfect to use for tattoos, laser hair removal, Brazillian waxing, derma-rolling, microblading, and microneedles. It contains 5% lidocaine and all you need to do is cover the area with a thick layer of cream and in about half an hour you will not feel anything! Its effect lasts for about 2 hours, so you can even think of going for a bigger tattoo. It comes with a child-proof cap as an added safety measure. The numbing property of the cream reduces the pain sensation and offers long-lasting relief.

11. Best Quick-Absorbing:Curist Lidocaine Numbing Relief Cream

The Curist Lidocaine Numbing Relief Cream contains 5% lidocaine which acts as a topical anesthetic and helps in blocking the nerve signals in your skin and helps relieve pain.
This expertly crafted cream is designed to be quick-absorbing and offers fast relief with a longer effect. This tattoo numbing cream makes your experience a pain-free tattoo session within minutes of applying it. The rigorously tested formula also relieves you from burning, irritation, and itchiness.

12. Best Affordable:Ink Scribd Numbing Cream

Have you ever felt that getting a tattoo was a bad idea right in the middle of the inking session because all you wanted to do was yell? Well, that scenario will never play out with this long-lasting tattoo numbing cream that contains 5% lidocaine, which is the strongest anesthetic you can get without a prescription. It’s infused with vitamin E to moisturize your skin and heal it faster. While many numbing creams wear off in 30 minutes this one lasts for up to 2 hours, which means you can comfortably sit in for an extensive tattooing session. It takes effect within 15-20 minutes as it’s quick-acting and gets absorbed by your skin in no time. The brand also does not conduct animal testing for this product, which makes it a good fur-friendly option.

13. Best Oil-Free Formula:Ultra Numb Topical Anesthetic Cream

Don’t let pain and fear come between you and your dream tattoo. This professional tattoo numbing cream is quickly absorbed by your skin and desensitizes it, so that you don’t have to bear unnecessary pain while getting a tattoo, body piercing, tattoo removal, laser hair removal, or waxing. This tattoo pain relief cream is water-based and it’s neither oily or greasy, and doesn’t cause any unnecessary mess. The skin remains numb for 3-4 hours once the cream is removed from the numbed skin depending on your skin type and the location of the tattoo on the body.

14. Best Non-Greasy Formula:Welmate Lidocaine Numbing Cream

The maximum strength Lidocaine Numbing Cream from Welmate features 5% lidocaine which is the strongest OTC formulation. This topical anesthetic cream has a water-based formula with a non-greasy texture that absorbs quickly. It works effectively by deadening the nerve endings to combat burning, soreness, bruising, and anorectal discomfort (hemorrhoids, fissures, & polyps). It also blocks the pain and discomfort from tattoos, piercings, botox, laser hair removal, and waxing. The formula is enriched with vitamin E, which helps to calm inflammation and swelling while hydrating and moisturizing the skin to prevent irritation and itching. This quick-acting cream starts working in just two to three minutes and lasts for an hour from its peak.

15. Best Trio-Numbing Formula:Face And Body Super Trio Topical Anesthetic

Don’t wait for that much desired tattoo any longer! One of the best numbing creams for tattoos, this product contains 12% benzocaine, 4% lidocaine hydrochloride, and 2% tetracaine hydrochloride. This super trio numbing cream is a very potent pre-procedure topical anesthetic for numbing. It’s very effective for getting a tattoo, permanent makeup, laser procedure, piercing, or any other sensitive procedure. It takes 15-20 minutes to numb your skin and desensitizes your skin for quite a long time. It’s non greasy and easy to apply and remove.

Now that you have been through the 15 best numbing creams for tattoo pain of 2024, here are a few pointers as to how numbing creams work, what you need to keep in mind before buying one, how to apply it, and the precautions you need to take. Hopefully, this will help you to choose what works best for you and getting a tattoo becomes a painless experience for you.

How Does A Tattoo Numbing Cream Work?

As the name suggests, a tattoo numbing cream numbs the skin but it all depends on the active essential ingredients that are present in the cream. On the basis of the active ingredient these numbing creams can be divided into nerve deadners, nerve blockers, and vasoconstrictors.

• Nerve deadners

Unlike its name, these are the mildest numbing creams. Most commonly, lidocaine is used to temporarily deaden the nerves. As it’s a pretty mild numbing cream, it may have to be reapplied during the tattoo mainly because nerve deadners sit on the skin while the tattoo needles go below the surface of the skin. Nerve deadners temporarily stop nerves from registering pain but don’t go deep enough into the skin to deaden all the nerves affected by the needles. So, sometimes to make the numbing cream more effective, nerve deadners and nerve blockers are combined to make a pain-free tattoo numbing cream.

• Nerve blockers

These are a bit more effective than nerve deadners as the nerves, though they register the pain, don’t carry the pain signals to the brain. Tetracaine is used most commonly as a nerve blocker. This is how most local anesthesia works and is also used in some tattoo numbing creams. Though nerve blockers significantly reduce the pain, they can’t cancel it completely and work best when combined with a nerve deadener.

• Vasoconstrictors

These usually use epinephrine to constrict the blood vessels, which reduces bleeding and swelling and automatically takes care of the pain. It works effectively as a cream to numb the skin before a tattoo, but may affect the healing of the tattoo. Vasoconstrictors themselves do not cause numbing but when they are added to creams that have other numbing agents, the reduced blood flow causes the other numbing agents to be effective for a longer period of time. It also reduces the amount of bleeding in the tattooed area.

Things To Consider Before Buying A Numbing Cream For Tattoos

• Your purpose

You need to be sure of the purpose for which you are going to use the tattoo numbing cream. The numbing cream you buy depends on whether you need it for a tattoo, piercing, waxing, or minor procedure and surgery. You can also use a numbing spray for very small tattoos.

• Active ingredients

Topical tattoo numbing creams for sensitive skin would usually contain lidocaine. 5% of lidocaine is the best quantity for a numbing cream but check that the pH value is less than 7 or it can spoil your tattoo’s ink. Benzocaine and tetracaine are other ingredients found in numbing creams though lidocaine is more effective.

• Pros and cons

Usually, numbing creams do not cause side effects as long as you use them correctly. Otherwise they may cause irritation, redness, or burning. Also, some numbing creams take longer to kick in than others. Consult a medical professional if you find any redness or irritation in the tattooed area or if you are at risk of allergy.

• Quality

Not all numbing creams work efficiently to numb the skin properly. Dermatologist-recommended tattoo numbing creams are always advisable. It should also be approved by the FDA or other health organizations.

• Water-based cream

After checking the numbing agent, you need to check the consistency of the cream. Water-based creams allow the tattoo ink to rest on the skin properly and they are easy to wipe off as well.

• Pre-tattooing or post-tattooing numbing cream

Some long-lasting tattoo numbing creams are used before the tattooing, some are used during or at the end of the process. A pre-tattooing numbing cream prepares the skin so that you don’t feel the pain, while a post-tattooing numbing cream eases the pain of the needles during the process.

• Guidelines on the pack

All the effective tattoo numbing products are different and so are the directions to use them. Before buying a tattoo numbing cream, check how long you have to use it, what to do before applying it, and how to remove it. If you use it for a shorter time than directed it may not be effective and it may cause side effects if you leave it on for too long. Cha Cha, a professional makeup artist, says, “Always consult your tattoo artist first before choosing and using a numbing cream. You must also follow the aftercare instructions your artist gives you when the tattoo is complete to avoid infection.”

How To Apply A Tattoo Numbing Cream

• Choose a suitable tattoo numbing cream.
• Wash the area with soap and water so that all dirt and oil is removed, thus enabling your skin to absorb the tattoo numbing cream more effectively.
• Dry with a clean towel.
• Use a pair of waterproof or latex gloves, so that the tattoo numbing cream doesn’t seep through and cause your fingers to go numb.
• Apply the cream after carefully reading the instructions to find out how much cream you should be applying to the area and if there are any precautions you need to take.
• Wrap the area in plastic as the heat under the wrapping helps to activate the cream and speed up the numbing process. All numbing creams may not require wrapping.
• Remove the wrap after about 30-45 minutes or once you can feel the numbing effect. Check the recommended time on the cream.
• Go and get your tattoo!
• In case of any skin conditions or skin sensitivity, please consult a dermatologist.

Safety Precautions For When You Are Using Tattoo Numbing Creams

• If you are using tattoo anesthesia creams for the first time, apply them only on a small area to do a patch test.
• Never use it on broken or inflamed skin, unless you have consulted a doctor. If your skin is broken, the anesthetic can enter the bloodstream and can cause serious problems like breathing difficulties and in very severe and rare cases, even coma.
• Make sure you are not allergic to the numbing cream as it can cause irritation, burning, or redness.
• Always use latex gloves while applying tattoo numbing creams or your fingers will go numb.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a tattoo numbing cream work for everybody?

Topical anesthetics for tattoos don’t eliminate the pain completely, but they do reduce the pain and make the experience less unpleasant. A number of tattoo artists don’t use numbing creams because they feel they don’t work and many feel that the pain is a rite of passage that you need to go through if you are getting a tattoo.

Can I use numbing cream after getting a tattoo?

If you find the itching after getting a tattoo unbearable, you can apply a numbing cream with 5% lidocaine for relief.

Does a tattoo numbing cream have side effects?

Sometimes you may have mild side effects like skin reactions in the form of skin discoloration, swelling, rashes, redness, hives, itching, and dry skin or even a headache.

Can you numb skin with ice before tattooing?

An ice pack applied for 5-10 minutes will numb your skin sufficiently to make the tattoo less painful.

How long does a numbing cream work for?

A numbing cream works best 2-3 hours after applying. The cream is removed before the artist starts tattooing and the numbness lasts for another 1-2 hours.

Do I need to wear gloves when applying a numbing cream?

Latex gloves that block out water and moisture should be used to ensure that the tattoo numbing cream doesn’t  seep through and cause numbness in your hands and fingertips.

Why Trust StyleCraze?

The author, Srijita De, is a makeup fanatic who believes that tattoos are a great way to showcase your own identity and style. She consulted several tattoo experts and went through hundreds of reviews to pick out the best tattoo numbing creams for a less painful experience with the needle. These products on the list work as topical anesthetics that are gentle on your skin and do not come in the way of your tattoo’s intensity.

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