Every claim below is supported by the science. No shortcuts. Just what the research says and what it means for the 2 to 3 washes per day your clients are doing for the next 2 to 3 weeks.
"I did not start this company to make another balm. I started it to fix the wash."
Colby Colquitt — Founder, Banger Tattoo CareThe industry always moves forward
Every standard got better.
Except the wash.
The tattoo industry has redefined its standard in every area. The aftercare recommendation has not been reviewed in a decade.
Coil machines → Wireless rotary
Lighter. Quieter. More precise. Artists never looked back.
Tattoo chairs → Flat benches
Better access. Better positioning. Better sessions.
Vaseline → Natural balms
The industry stopped using petroleum jelly and moved to formulas that actually support the skin.
Physical portfolios → Instagram
The best work reached more people. Bookings went global.
Antibacterial foam → Cold-process bar
The FDA found zero evidence antibacterial soap outperforms plain soap. The handoff recommendation still has not caught up.
Banger is the only brand actively promoting anti-antibacterial in the aftercare market. Individually wrapped. Zero antibacterial agents. Built for the handoff the industry needed and did not have.
1,500+ artists already made the switch.
The standard is moving. It always has.
In September 2016 the FDA reviewed antibacterial soaps and found zero evidence they prevent infection better than plain soap. The recommendation on most aftercare sheets was never updated to reflect it.
The foundation of most aftercare recommendations has not been reviewed in over a decade. Banger was built on what the science actually says.
The skin microbiome is a community of beneficial bacteria that defends healing wounds. Antibacterial agents cannot distinguish between harmful and beneficial bacteria — they disrupt both equally, at exactly the wrong moment on every wash of a fresh tattoo.
Zero antibacterial agents is not an omission. It is the point. Every Banger Bar is built around protecting what healing skin is already doing.
Seen enough? The Anti-Antibacterial Handoff Bar — 24 bars. Free shipping. No subscription required.
On intact skin, fragrance compounds stay on the surface. On a fresh tattoo the barrier is broken — fragrance penetrates layers it normally cannot, adding inflammatory stress to healing skin that has nothing to do with the tattoo itself.
Zero fragrance is not a marketing claim. It is a clinical decision. Banger Bars contain none — not reduced fragrance, none.
Why We Built This
This is exactly why we built the Banger Bar.
We realized artists were sending clients home to wash two to three times a day with chemicals that actively destroy the skin barrier. Banger is the clinical alternative. One bar, zero antibacterial agents, zero fragrance. Cold-process to retain the natural glycerin your clients' healing skin actually needs. Hand it to them before they leave the chair.
The concern with bar soap was always shared-use contamination — one bar touched by multiple people. That concern does not apply to a 0.4oz bar individually wrapped and handed to one client at the end of their session. No shared bar, no shared bacteria.
One bar. One client. That is the format Banger Bars were built around — and the reason the shared-bar concern does not apply here.
"In Canada, all bloodborne pathogen training covers not using antibacterial soaps or creams unless you have an infected tattoo."
Tattoo artist — comment on our viral post
Soap cleans through surfactants — not antibacterial chemistry. That mechanism is identical in bar and liquid soap, which is why the FDA found no advantage for antibacterial agents. Cold-process goes further by retaining natural glycerin that commercial manufacturers extract and sell separately, delivering moisture instead of stripping it.
Cold-process is not a craft detail. It is what makes Banger Bars deliver moisture support on every one of those 40+ washes instead of stripping what little the skin has managed to retain.
"Thank you. I've been telling people to avoid it for over 20 years."
Tattoo artist — comment on our viral post