Temporary tattoos are just as rad as the real thing. In fact, they’re a great way to try out a design or a placement without a lifetime commitment, which makes them an excellent first choice before jumping into the artist’s chair. We’ve rounded up our absolute favorite temporary tattoo brands to make the selection easier for you.
Quick glance at the best temporary tattoos:
Table of Contents (clickable)
Best Temporary Tattoos Reviewed
Inkbox - Our Pick!
We bet you’ve seen an Inkbox ad on social media at some point, and this company is not only investing in their advertising but also in high-quality temporary tattoos, as well. They offer you the selection of freehand ink, custom designing, and they also have what has to be the largest, and most rad, selection of temporary tattoos on the market.
What we love most about Inkbox is that they have real tattoo artists working on their design team. Whether you want to select a quote, a dainty piece, or a large design, Inkbox has got you covered. If you can’t find something you like in their catalog, you can create a custom piece! Their products are easy to apply, develop on your skin over a few hours, and stay put for one to two weeks.
Whether you need to ease the anxiety of the pain involved with a permanent tattoo or whether you’d like to try something out before you have any regrets due to commitment, Inkbox is the best of the best. It looks unbelievably real and on top of all that, it’s all plant-based and cruelty free.
Pros:
- Long lasting (one to two weeks)
- Easy to apply
- Plant-based and cruelty free
- Freehand and premade designs available
- Custom options
- Created by tattoo artists
- Looks very realistic
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive than other brands
Momentary Ink
Momentary Ink allows you two temporary tattoo options - those that last three to five days, and semi-permanent tattoos that last one to two weeks. But the coolest feature of Momentary Ink is that they allow you to order custom made temporary tattoos in either format!
With the largest catalog of over 3,000 designs, along with diverse sizing options and custom design creation, and serving 152 countries in the world, Momentary Ink got a real close second place for us. The accessibility paired with the quality makes Momentary Ink an incredible temporary tattoo brand.
Pros:
- Huge catalog of designs
- Custom design options
- Custom sizing for every design
- Two temporary tattoo options - three to five days and one to two weeks
- Very accessible brand
Cons:
- Not designed by tattoo artists
- Not labeled as cruelty free
- Quite expensive for the larger sizes
Tattly
If realism is not what you want to focus on but instead want to get some fun and creative designs for your skin, you’ll want to jump on Tattly! Tattly is created by real artists and they’re colorful, unique, and turn your skin into an incredible canvas.
Their motto is to make people happy with the wearable art they create and they certainly hit the mark. Even The New York Times said, “Perhaps no company has done more to elevate temporary tattoos to wearable art than Tattly.”
Each design lists the specific artist that was involved in the project, and we’re all for supporting independent artists. They only stay on your skin for two to four days, but they are a safe way to accessorize and we are hooked.
Pros:
- Safe and non-toxic
- Vegetable based ink
- FDA compliant
- Created by artists
- Easy to remove with baby oil or rubbing alcohol
- Large, unique collection
- Quite inexpensive
Cons:
- Not realistic
- Not a very large catalog
- They don’t last long
BIC BodyMark Temporary Tattoo Markers
If you (or a friend) have the skill of design and you’re ready to get crazy on your own skin, you’ll love BIC BodyMark Temporary Tattoo Markers. We definitely do!
This is a skin safe product that lasts three to four days and marker packs not only have a variety of colors but also nib sizes, meaning your creativity can go from dainty designs to more intense full pieces. If you don’t trust your own skills, their markers come with stencils, as well.
This temporary tattoo option only lasts two days so it really allows you to test out placement options or even sketch a freehand that you’ll want an artist to tattoo. If you like the openness of designing what you want, where you want, in any size you want, BIC BodyMark will be exactly what you need.
Pros:
- Bright color options
- Freehand design
- Inexpensive
- Different nib sizes for various design styles
- Well-known and reliable brand
Cons:
- Not realistic
- Doesn’t last long - only two days
- No pre-made designs; artistic skills needed
Tattapic
Tattapic loves to stress to customers that their tattoos are, “so realistic, even tattoo artists are fooled,” and we’ve got to agree! The formula of their temporary tattoos literally fuses their designs to your skin upon application, making a flawless and lifelike ink design.
What we love most about Tattapic is that there is no design restriction; you can customize anything into a temporary tattoo format because they have design experts on their team who edit the project before it’s printed and shipped to you. Speaking of shipping: they have free worldwide shipping and all projects get to you very quickly, making Tattapic super accessible.
But the key to Tattapic’s realistic temporary tattoo designs is their application and sealant product, Tatt Be Real®. It’s an FDA approved lotion that you apply over your temporary tattoo and the results are genuinely flawless. We were blown away by how realistic these pieces looked after application.
Pros:
- Hyper-realistic
- Worldwide shipping
- Tatt Be Real® lotion
- Custom designs
- Experts on the design team
- Quick turnaround
- Huge catalog
Cons:
- Can be expensive as you move up in size
- Having to buy the lotion along with the tattoo adds an additional expense
Conscious Ink
If simplicity is more your style, you’re going to love Conscious Ink. Their temporary tattoos, which last an average of two to five days, are non-toxic, vegan, FDA approved, and they have a wide variety of meaningful quotes, dainty designs, and realistic script.
Conscious Ink emphasizes that the intent behind their tattoos are meant to make you feel a long-lasting sense of empowerment through your temporary design. The words, symbols, and signs are focused around themes such as power, abundance, “be you”, “love my body”, and peace, just to name a few. They believe that you don’t need a lifetime commitment to a tattoo to feel the long-lasting impact of the meaning behind it.
They write, “Even a glimpse of our provocative ink can disrupt habitual self-defeating thought patterns, and affirm new, more efficacious ways of thinking.” We really found Conscious Ink to be small but powerful pieces of art for our skin.
Pros:
- Meaningful and uplifting designs
- Inexpensive
- Vegan
- FDA approved
- Non-toxic
- Easy-to-apply
Cons:
- Small catalog of designs
- Does not last long; only two to four days
Our Pick - Inkbox
Inbox has it all and it can’t be denied that this brand has the best temporary tattoos on the market. They not only last a really long time, but they’re waterproof and sweatproof, as well. They are so realistic and blend so well with your skin that everyone will doubt that it’s a temporary tattoo at all.
The key to their success is how their ink develops over time with your skin. Inbox has a special formula that, upon application, the tattoo appears light but then takes 24 to 48 hours to react to the collagen and protein in your skin to produce a design that looks uniform with your tone.
We also love that their temporary tattoos are designed by real tattoo artists working in the industry, and are produced with a plant-based formula that is very safe for skin. If you can’t find a favorite in their large catalog of designs, you also have the option to customize a tattoo. This is an excellent way to test out a placement for a future tattoo prior to making the lifelong commitment.
Though Inkbox is slightly more expensive, it’s genuinely worth every penny more. The quality of Inkbox temporary tattoos can’t be beat by other brands.
What We Consider When Selecting the Best Temporary Tattoos
Temporary tattoos are not just for kids anymore. Adults around the world are turning to high-quality temporary tattoo brands in order to test out their placements, experiment with them as an accessory piece, and amplify their look for their personal endeavors. It’s for that reason that we put a lot of thought into what made our list.
Safety
Anything that’s going on your skin can put your health at risk, so we selected brands that emphasized skin safety, FDA approval, non-toxic ingredients, or plant-based inks. Even if it’s not a surgical procedure like a real tattoo, any ink that absorbs into your skin can get into your bloodstream, and our team, with their sensitive skin, ensured these tattoos on the list passed the test.
That being said, you should always do a patch test with any product on the inside of your elbow for 48 hours!
Design Options
You don’t need to have a huge catalog of designs to have a quality line of temporary tattoos, but we wanted to select brands that had a diversified range and category of ink. While many people will go for a hyper-realistic style, we also wanted to meet the market of buyers who are looking for more open, creative, or fun options. Our list has it all.
Resistant Formulas
No matter how long you plan to wear your temporary tattoo, there’s a brand that falls into the range of what you need. We understand that even one week of wear might be too long for some users, so we selected temporary tattoo brands that fall anywhere from two days to two weeks. In addition, all our favorite brands are water and sweat resistant, and won’t rub off on your clothing.
Flawless Application
Whether you like fun and creative designs or hyper-realistic temporary tattoos, the application process should be easy and appear flawless. Everything that made our best of list looks great on skin and doesn’t produce sticky glue-like outlines around the designs once they’re applied.
Our nightmare was to encounter a brand that applied like the cereal box tattoos we got as children - slipping upon application and creating a distorted picture or quote on our skin. Everything we loved was easy-to-use and really looked like it was a part of our skin when we were done with it.
Our Final Thoughts
Temporary tattoos need to be taken more seriously, and with these brands on the market, they will be hard to ignore. They’re a great way to accessorize, to test a region or placement idea for a future tattoo, or to make a short-term commitment to a fun design. Our favorite temporary tattoo brands are changing the game and creating safe, uniform, and beautiful pieces of work for your skin.
