Numbing Cream 101: What To Know

In September of 2025, the State of Michigan updated its Body Art Facilities Rules (Mich Admin Code, R 333.13101-R 333.13118), rolling out a wave of new regulations that set the tattoo industry ablaze. While many of these changes were necessary to improve safety for tattoo and piercing clients alike, one rule in particular sparked major conversation amongst both artists and tattoo fanatics: numbing cream.

Michigan officially outlawed the use of numbing creams and sprays without a prior prescription from a licensed physician. Tattoos artists are also now required to refuse service to clients who arrive with numbing creams already applied outside of the studio without witness of the artist and explicit approval. Some artists rejoiced. Many clients, however, were left frustrated and confused, wondering why the state would create such a law in the first place.

So today, we’re breaking it all down for you — what numbing cream is, how it affects tattoos, and why artists are cautious about it in the first place.

What is Numbing Cream, Anyway?

Numbing creams and sprays are topical, surface-level local anesthetics commonly used for medical procedures to help minimize pain. Common topical anesthetics include:

• Benzocaine

• Dibucaine

• Lidocaine (the most popular in the tattoo industry)

• Phenol

• Pramoxine

• Prilocaine

Depending on the brand, these anesthetics may be combined for stronger effects or paired with additives like MSM or propylene glycol (penetration enhancers), epinephrine (a vasoconstrictor), or soothing ingredients such as aloe.

It’s important to note that numbing creams and numbing sprays are not the same thing. Numbing cream is typically applied before a tattoo on unbroken skin, while numbing sprays are used during a tattoo on already broken skin to help take the edge off.

From a client’s perspective, the appeal is obvious — less pain. That said, tattoos are never completely painless, regardless of numbing agents. And while numbing products may sound like a win-won, there are significant downsides and risks that artists have a responsibility to educate clients about.

How Numbing Cream Affects the Tattoo Process

One of the biggest issues with numbing agents, especially creams used before tattooing, is how drastically they alter the skin.

Most numbing creams are thick, oil-based or gel-formulated products that are lathered onto the skin. When applied and wrapped under cling wrap (as typically advised), they trap excess moisture against the skin. Your skin cells absorb that moisture, becoming swollen and bloated. On top of that, many numbing creams contain vasoconstrictors or have inherent vasoconstrictive properties (such as lidocaine), which restrict blood flow and tighten the blood vessels beneath the skin.

The result? Skin that is tight, over-moisturized, swollen, and rubbery.

Why Tattoo Artists Hate “Rubbery” Skin

Tattooing relies heavily on how the skin reacts during the process. While artists can work around unpredictable factors like swelling or thinner skin, tattooing on skin that behaves like rubber is a completely different beast.

When you get tattooed, your body sends out macrophages: tiny, phagocytic cells that act like your body’s ’cleanup crew’, repairing damaged tissue and interacting with ink particular to essentially form your tattoo, or an impression of such. When numbing cream is added into the mix, your skin absorbs chemicals that these macrophages interpret as problematic. As a result, they enter overdrive.

Fibroblasts, cells that are responsible for collagen production and tissue repair, also begin to overcompensate for what your body perceives as excess trauma. This combination leads to more ink being “eaten”, increased scar tissue formation, and unnecessary stress on the skin.

In simpler terms:

• Poor pigment retention

• Greater risk of overworking the skin

• Longer, roughing healing times

Are Numbing Products Even Regulated?

This is where things tend to get especially sketchy.

The FDA is responsible for regulating over-the-counter numbing products and requires that they contain no more than 4% lidocaine. Over the years, however, the agency has released multiple public health advisories warning that many numbing creams are illegally marketed and contain far higher concentrations of— some exceeding 10% concentrations, without users ever knowing.

Epinephrine, which is not approved for OTC numbing creams, has also been found in many products currently on the market.

A release made public by the FDA in March of 2024 listing certain popular on-the-market brands that heavily violated FDA regulations. Read more here.

Quality control is a massive issue, particularly with cheaper numbing creams. Many are compounded overseas in countries with far more relaxed regulations and questionable sanitary conditions. This leads to contamination, inconsistent formulations, adn incorrect ingredient rations. Even products marketed “specifically for tattoos” are often not professionally tested for tailored to the tattooing process.

Because of this, your tattoo artist cannot guarantee your safety. We don’t know what you put on your skin, how your body will react once tattooing begins, or how it will heal afterward. Some creams may harbor bacteria that can lead to staph infections, or worse, cause severe allergic reactions.

A severe allergic reaction from an off-brand numbing cream. Read more here.

When complications happen, the blame often falls back on your artist. And remember: our names are on your tattoos. When something heals poorly or doesn’t work out regardless of the reason, it still reflects on us, even when the cause is completely out of our control.

The Real Risk: Lidocaine Toxicity

The most serious danger associated with unregulated numbing products is lidocaine poisoning. Symptoms may include but are not limited to:

• Dizziness

• Disorientation

• Confusion

• Tinnitus

• Psychosis

• Visual disturbance

• Nausea and vomiting

• Slurred speech

• Difficulty swallowing

• Seizures

Once toxicity sets in, symptoms can appear in as little as five minutes. Depending on the dosage and exposure, reactions can range from mild to severe — and in rare cases, can be fatal.

Your tattoo artist is not a medical professional. We can’t assess dosage, absorption rates, or drug interactions. Without professional medical guidance, using numbing creams not only can be uncomfortable, but dangerous.

The Wear-Off (aka the “Catch-Up) Effect

Numbing creams vary wildly in effectiveness depending on brand, strength, application method, skin type, and duration. While bottles often claim to be “long-lasting”, most creams work for one to three hours, and some can fade in as little as thirty minutes.

Many clients turn to numbing creams out of fear of pain they haven’t yet experienced, or because they’re staring down the barrel of a long session adn want a leg up. And while it may help briefly, the real issue begins once it starts to wear off.

Normally, when your body experiences pain, your brain releases endorphins that help you adapt. Numbing creams block nerve signals, preventing pain, but they also prevent your body from releasing those endorphins.

When the numbing fades, the nerves “wake up” all at once. Your body suddenly realizes it’s been in pain for hours without the natural chemical support to cope. This triggers what many artists call the Catch-Up Effect, where pain floods the nervous system at full force — often feeling exponentially worse than if you’d just sat through it naturally.

And even if you manage to get through an entire session numb? Your body will catch up later. Usually that night. And it will not be kind.

Why Artists Set Boundaries Around Numbing Cream

At the end of the day, tattoo artists aren’t trying to gatekeep pain or make things harder for clients. Our job is to keep you safe, protect the quality of your tattoo, and ensure the best possible outcomes.

Unregulated numbing creams can introduce risks we can’t control to your health, your skin, and the final result of the tattoo. That’s why laws like Michigan’s exist, and why many artists choose to draw a hard line.

If pain is a concern, the best thing you can do is talk to your artist. We can help with placement choices, session pacing, breaks, breathing techniques, and when appropriate, professionally approved alternatives that we can control. Tattoos are a collaboration, and your comfort matters — but so does your safety.