Inkster

What Inkster does

Inkster is a German direct-to-consumer brand that designs, manufactures, and sells plant-based temporary tattoos lasting 7-14 days, marketed under the tagline "2-Week Tattoos." The company's core technology uses a formulation that is applied like a sticker but penetrates the first skin layer, producing water-resistant wear that fades naturally; the ink is 100% vegan plant-based and certified under the EU Cosmetics Regulation. Inkster's product catalog spans pre-designed tattoos across 20+ categories (flowers, symbols, animals, lettering, spiritual, astrology, geometric, travel), customizable tattoos in eight size tiers from Tiny (3x3 cm, €5) to Full-Sleeve (20x60 cm, €15), the proprietary Tattoo Pen ($29 / $57 double pack), starter-set bundles, application accessories (primer, sponge, tape), and the Lilly Artist Collection sub-brand. E-vouchers (€20/€30/€50) and bulk corporate/event orders round out the offering.

Inkster monetizes through one-time unit purchases priced $12-$79, with volume discounts of 5-20% and free shipping above $39. Go-to-market is hybrid: a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront (inkster.eu and inkster.de, multi-language, shipping to 40+ countries) is the primary channel, supplemented by physical retail in Rossmann drugstores and selected REWE and EDEKA grocery stores in Germany and Europe. Marketing combines paid social (TikTok, Meta, Pinterest), organic content (blog, Instagram, "Shop the Look"), an influencer/affiliate program ("Inkster Familie"), Klaviyo email campaigns, and substantial earned media in outlets including RTL, ProSieben, Galileo, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and OMR. The company cites over 100,000 tattooed customers, a 309,000-person community, and 17,056 verified reviews at 4.72/5.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Göttingen, Germany, Inkster operates with 1-10 employees and is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors in the input data. Leadership comprises CEO and founder Melvyn Wittwer and CMO and founder Michael Noack. There are no recorded M&A transactions, restructuring events, or regulatory actions in the data; the principal strategic actions to date have been product expansion (Tattoo Pen, customizer, artist collaborations), retail distribution agreements, and geographic shipping rollout.

Name

Inkster

Legal name

Inkster

Website

https://inkster.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inkster is a German direct-to-consumer brand selling plant-based, vegan temporary tattoos that last 7-14 days through its own e-commerce store and Rossmann, REWE, and EDEKA retail partners, targeting individual consumers seeking non-permanent body art.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Göttingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time purchase of temporary tattoos, tattoo pens, accessories, and starter sets through e-commerce and retail channels. Tattoos range from $12-44, starter sets from $46-79, tattoo pen at $29.
2. Custom Tattoo Orders: Customizable tattoo orders with pricing based on size, ranging from 5€ (Tiny 3x3cm) to 15€ (Full-Sleeve 20x60cm).
3. E-Vouchers: Digital gift vouchers sold in €20, €30, and €50 denominations for gifting purposes.
4. Bulk/Corporate Orders: Bulk order capability for events and corporate customers requiring larger quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Inkster designs, manufactures, and sells plant-based, waterproof temporary tattoos that last 7-14 days using a proprietary application method where the design penetrates the first skin layer. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via the company's Shopify-powered online store and through physical retail in Rossmann, REWE, and EDEKA stores across Europe, with international shipping to 40+ countries.

Product overview

Inkster is a direct-to-consumer temporary tattoo company offering natural 2-week tattoos that last 7-14 days. The core product is their 2-Week Tattoo collection available in standard designs and customizable options. Tattoos come in various sizes from Tiny (3x3 cm) to Full-Sleeve (20x60 cm) and categories including Flowers, Animals, Symbols, Lettering, Spiritual, Astrology, Geometric, Abstract, Travel, and Traditional designs. The product portfolio includes the Tattoo Pen for custom designs, Starter Set Deals and Tattoo Sleeve Starter Sets for beginners, Tattoo Primer and Pop-up Sponge as application accessories, and the Lilly Artist Collection as an exclusive sub-brand. The company also offers E-Vouchers. Tattoos are applied like stickers but absorb into the first skin layer, are water-resistant, and use 100% vegan ink certified under EU Cosmetics Regulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lilly Artist Collection: Artist collection featuring tattoo designs from artist Lilly
• Tattoo Pen

Products and services

• 2-Week Tattoos (Standard Designs) Temporary tattoos that last 7-14 days depending on body placement, applied like stickers and absorbed into the first skin layer. Available in various sizes and categories including Flowers, Animals, Symbols, Lettering, Spiritual, Astrology, Zodiac Signs, Geometric, Abstract, and Travel designs.
• Customizable Tattoos Personalized temporary tattoos designed by customers through an online tool, available in sizes from Tiny (3x3 cm) to Full-Sleeve (20x60 cm), priced from 5€ to 15€ per piece depending on size.
• Tattoo Sleeves Large temporary tattoo designs covering larger body areas, offered as Half-Sleeve (20x30 cm) and Full-Sleeve (20x60 cm) options, including exclusive collections such as the Sparta Tattoo Sleeve.
• Tattoo Pen Pen device for applying and creating custom tattoo designs, sold individually at $29.00 or as a Double Pack at $57.00, including Tape accessories.
• Summer Starter Set Deal Bundled package of tattoo products offered at a promotional price of $46.00, reduced from $75.00, marked as 'Best Deal' on the site.
• Tattoo Sleeve Starter Set

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RossmanncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRossmann, a major European drugstore chain, stocks Inkster products in their stores. This partnership provides physical retail presence for Inkster's temporary tattoo products.
• REWE GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSelected REWE grocery stores carry Inkster products, providing additional physical retail distribution in the German and European market.
• EDEKAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSelected EDEKA grocery stores carry Inkster products, expanding physical retail distribution network.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering inkster.eu and inkster.de online stores. Provides the technical infrastructure for the company's direct-to-consumer sales channel.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sephora: Sephora is a global beauty retailer. Rather than a product competitor, it is an aspirational distribution channel for Inkster — entering Sephora would represent meaningful international validation of the plant-based tattoo line in beauty rather than drugstore retail.

Direct peers

• Inkbox: Inkbox is the most direct peer: a North American brand selling semi-permanent 'For Now' tattoos that fade over 1-2 weeks using a skin-penetrating ink technology — mirroring Inkster's core mechanism and target use case. Both companies compete for the same consumer who wants tattoo aesthetics without permanent commitment.
• StickerYou: StickerYou is a custom printed products company that includes custom temporary tattoos alongside stickers and labels. It competes with Inkster for both consumer and corporate/B2B custom temporary tattoo orders, particularly at the events/promotional end of the market.
• Squid Temporary Tattoos: Squid is a custom temporary tattoo company serving both consumers and businesses with personalized temporary tattoos. It overlaps with Inkster's customizable tattoo offering and corporate/event bulk-order use case, making it a direct functional competitor in the custom temp-tattoo segment.
• Tattify: Tattify is a US-based DTC temporary tattoo brand offering metallic, custom, and fashion-forward temporary tattoos to consumers. It competes directly with Inkster in the temporary-tattoo consumer segment, especially in the women's fashion and event categories.

Broad incumbents

• Rubie's Costume Company: Rubie's is a large broad-line costume and party accessories company whose portfolio includes mass-market temporary tattoos. While not specialized like Inkster, its scale and retailer relationships make it an incumbent presence in the same off-line channels where Inkster distributes.
• Biotouch: Biotouch is a broader cosmetic and micro-pigmentation supplier/professional brand that overlaps at the edges of the 'cosmetic ink on skin' universe. It is broader in scope (professional permanent makeup) but addresses adjacent consumer demand for temporary and cosmetic skin applications.

Regional players

• Henna Sooq: Henna Sooq is a heritage natural body-art brand focused on henna and jagua temporary body art. It overlaps with Inkster in the 'temporary nature-based body decoration' consumer behavior and competes for similar occasion/event-driven buyers.

Emerging players

• Fake Tattoos: Fake Tattoos is a long-running generic temporary-tattoo brand selling mostly traditional transfer-style tattoos at lower price points. It represents the baseline commoditized alternative that Inkster must differentiate against on technology, sustainability, and design aesthetics.
• Tiny Tats: Tiny Tats is a children's temporary tattoo brand specializing in cute, kid-friendly designs sold through retail and online. While narrower than Inkster's portfolio, it competes for shelf space in similar drugstore/impulse-buy channels and overlaps with Inkster's smaller-sized designs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@inkster_official
• Instagraminstagram.com/inkster_official
• Pinterestpinterest.com/inkster_official
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inkster-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inkster