Association of Professional Piercers

What Association of Professional Piercers does

The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit international health and safety organization founded in 1994. It serves body piercing professionals — individual piercers, studio operators, and body jewelry manufacturers — by establishing and promoting industry standards for safe piercing practices, sterilization, and jewelry quality. APP maintains a membership program, publishes educational materials including the Point of View (POV) magazine and The Point: Journal of Body Piercing, and operates the Verified Body Jewelry program which independently validates that jewelry meets ASTM F2999/F2923 and ISO implantation standards.

The organization operates with approximately 18 employees and is headquartered in California with a mailing address in Lawrence, Kansas. Its reach is global: APP is affiliated with 15+ sister organizations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, extending its standards-setting influence internationally. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors. APP's core technology layer is institutional knowledge — documented procedures, published standards, and a peer-reviewed journal — rather than software platforms.

APP's revenue model is typical of a professional trade association: membership dues (individual and studio tiers), annual conference and expo registration and sponsorship, merchandise sales, and publication subscriptions. Its annual conference functions as the primary member-facing event for education, networking, and vendor engagement. There is no disclosed equity funding, venture investment, or M&A activity — consistent with its non-profit status.

Name

Association of Professional Piercers

Legal name

Association of Professional Piercers

Website

https://safepiercing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit founded in 1994 that establishes health, safety, and jewelry standards for the body piercing industry. It serves professional piercers, studios, and body jewelry manufacturers globally through membership, education, publications, an annual conference, and a jewelry verification program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for professional piercers and non-piercer supporters who align with APP's mission and standards. Members receive an affirmation of membership renewable yearly.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded APP merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, polo shirts, sweatshirts, baby onesies), accessories (water bottles, tote bags, beanies, patches, aprons, stickers). Sold through the APP's WooCommerce online store.
3. Publications and Educational Materials: Sale of consumer-oriented brochures, Health and Safety Procedure Manual, Suggested Apprenticeship Guidelines & Curriculum, and other publications. Online courses available through the APP's learning management system.
4. Annual Conference Revenue: Revenue from the annual educational conference and exposition for piercers, health inspectors, and industry professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is a California-based international non-profit membership organization founded in 1994 that disseminates vital health and safety information about body piercing. It offers professional membership affirmation, an annual educational conference and exposition, online courses through a learning management system, peer-reviewed publications including The Point journal, consumer-facing educational brochures, a member locator directory, and a body jewelry verification program, alongside branded merchandise sold through its e-commerce store.

Product overview

The Association of Professional Piercers operates as a non-profit membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of: (1) an e-commerce store selling branded merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, aprons, water bottles, patches, stickers, and accessories); (2) membership services for professional piercers and supporters with annual affirmation and access to member logo usage; (3) an Annual Conference & Exposition providing educational classes for industry professionals; (4) online education via a learning management system; (5) professional publications including The Point journal, Health and Safety Procedure Manual, and apprenticeship curriculum; and (6) a Member Locator directory service. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but provides informational resources, professional standards, and community services for the body piercing industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership program for professional piercers and non-piercer supporters, providing affirmation of membership renewable yearly, access to member resources, and ability to display the APP member logo.
• Annual Conference and Exposition

Quantifiable outcome

• Quarterly professional journal publication on piercing-related news

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• APP-BR (Brazilian Association of Professional Piercers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2025Sister organization in Brazil. APPBR Conference scheduled for May 22-24, 2026 in Brazil. Both organizations share educational resources and participate in the annual Sister Organization Symposium.
• AIPP (Associazione Piercers Professionisti Italiani)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian sister organization. AIPP Vol 9 'Ritorno Alle Origini' Piercing Conference scheduled for October 11-13, 2026 in Italy.
• BMXnetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman piercing association. 20th BMXnet conference scheduled for August 6-9, 2026 in Germany.
• VPP (Verband Professioneller Piercer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman professional piercers association. Focuses on piercing and scars.
• LBP (Liga de Piercers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatin American piercing organization. 11th Congreso LBP scheduled for November 9-13, 2026 in Guanajuato, Mexico.
• APPE (Associación Profesional de Piercers de España)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish professional piercers association. VIII APPE 2026 conference scheduled for April 14-16, 2026 in Spain.
• CEP (Colectivo de Especialistas en Perforaciones)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish piercing organization. CEP Conference scheduled for July 9-12, 2026 in Spain.
• APP-PT (Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese sister organization. 4th Meeting APP-PT Faro scheduled for November 4-7, 2026 in Portugal.
• RUAPP (Russia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRussian piercing association. RUAPP Second Piercing Marathon scheduled for February 16-22, 2026 in Russia.
• APP BeneluxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBenelux region piercing organization covering Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. APP Benelux Conference scheduled for September 6-8, 2026 in the Netherlands.
• PPP (Polska Profesja Piercer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish professional piercers. VI PPP Conference scheduled for September 24-26, 2026 in Poland.
• Fakir Musafar FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based organization focused on intensives and body modification education.
• Church of BodModcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based body modification organization.
• Belgian Professional Piercers (BPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian professional piercers organization. Belgian Professional Piercers Conference scheduled for October 4-5, 2026 in Belgium.
• AUPP (Australasian Union of Professional Piercers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralasian piercing organization. AUPP Conference scheduled for October 25-29, 2026 in Australasia.
• UKAPP (United Kingdom)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based professional piercers. UK APP Conference scheduled for September 13-15, 2026 in the United Kingdom.
• UA-APP UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian piercing organization. 3rd UA APP Conference scheduled for August 20-22, 2026 in Ukraine.
• JPPA (Japan Professional Piercers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese piercing organization. 3rd Asian Piercers Meet Up scheduled for October 5-8, 2026 in Japan.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• APP-BR (Brazilian Association of Professional Piercers): Brazilian sister association of APP running its own annual conference (May 2026) and adopting APP-aligned standards. Provides the same membership/education/conference offering as the APP within Brazil.
• BMXnet (Germany): German national professional piercers association and APP sister organization hosting its 20th annual conference in 2026. Operates the same membership, education, and conference model as the APP but exclusively within Germany and German-speaking markets.
• Associazione Piercers Professionisti Italiani (AIPP): Italian professional piercers association and APP sister organization with annual conferences and educational resources. Comparable membership and education business model, but operating exclusively in Italy.
• Japan Professional Piercers Association (JPPA): Japanese professional piercers association and APP sister organization co-hosting the Asian Piercers Meet Up. Functional peer to APP within Japan with the same membership and conference structure.
• Liga de Piercers (LBP, Latin America): Latin American piercing association and APP sister organization running the Congreso LBP annual conference. Direct functional peer to APP with the same offering stack, focused on Spanish-speaking Latin American markets.
• AUPP (Australasian Union of Professional Piercers): Australasian regional piercers association and APP sister organization with annual conference programming. Comparable membership and education model focused on the Australia/NZ market.
• United Kingdom Association of Professional Piercers (UKAPP): UK professional piercers association and APP sister organization running an annual conference and member accreditation. Direct functional peer to APP with the same offering stack, but limited to UK members and events.

Emerging players

• Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP): International non-profit for permanent cosmetics professionals offering certification, conferences, and safety standards. Adjacent body-modification association with similar membership and educational programming serving cosmetic tattooists and micropigmentation specialists.
• National Tattoo Association: Long-running U.S. tattoo industry association focused on professional standards, conventions, and member education. Comparable professional membership body serving adjacent body art practitioners (tattooists rather than piercers).
• Alliance of Professional Tattooists: U.S.-based non-profit membership association that establishes health, safety, and professional standards for tattooists, mirroring the APP's role in piercing. Comparable business model (membership dues, conferences, educational publications, regulatory engagement) and customer type (body art studio owners and practitioners).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-professional-piercers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Association of Professional Piercers