Lincoln Salazar knows how to cash in on a trend.
The 24-year-old entrepreneur owns Tattoo Potion, an Irvine-based company that expects to hit $15 million to $20 million in sales next year by making skincare products for people with tattoos.
Tattoo Potion is privately held and backed by a small group of investors.
It employs five full-time workers at its Orange County headquarters and counts a handful of independent contractors.
Salazar had the idea for Tattoo Potion in 2005 after he got a tattoo to memorialize a cousin.
When Salazar’s tattoo artist suggested he use a regular body lotion to speed up the healing process, he realized that there weren’t many products on the market for tattoo aftercare and maintenance despite the growing popularity of the art form.
A 2006 study done by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of Americans 18 to 50 years old are tattooed.
“Tattoos are becoming a lot more mainstream,” Salazar said. “They’re not just for
the bikers or Marines. It’s really become a culture.”
The OC native used his savings from working in the technology and advertising industries and tapped friends and family to help get Tattoo Potion off the ground.
The company makes aftercare lotions, moisturizers and sunscreens that are formulated to prevent tattoos from fading over time.
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Tattoo Potion platinum package: tapped into niche skincare |
The products are made and packaged at a local FDA-certified factory and are sold to more than 200 tattoo parlors and tanning salons with the help of distributors.
Businesses that carry Tattoo Potion include Lefty’s Tattoo in Orange, OC Tan in Laguna Niguel, Lowrider Tattoo in Costa Mesa, Boulevard Tanning in Las Vegas and Solar Salon Inc. in New York.
Tattoo Potion’s products sell anywhere from $10 to $20.
The company plans to come out with more products this year including aftercare products for people with piercings, Salazar said.
The company is one of the few these days that plans to make an initial public offering some time this year or next year.
Safe Sprays
Whenever Jody Tsouo would pick her children up from preschool she would have to plug her nose because the fumes from the deodorizing sprays used in their rooms were so pungent.
“I would hold my breath, run in, grab my kids and go,” Tsouo said. “I just thought,
‘It can’t be good for them to breathe all these chemicals.'”
When she couldn’t find any natural deodorizing sprays on the market she decided to make her own.
Tsouo owns Lake Forest-based RubyBlaise Essentials.
The company expects to hit $2 million in sales this year making deodorizing sprays with aromatherapy and essential oils and other natural ingredients.
The sprays come in 18 different scents including cleansing mist,which is made with peppermint, eucalyptus, bergamot and tea tree,and energizing mist,which is made with tangerine and ginger oils.
RubyBlaise buys all of its materials from local vendors.
The company mixes, bottles and packages all of its products at Tsouo’s home office and sells them directly to Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc.’s Tustin store, Santa Ana-based Road Less Traveled and Serenity Wellness Center in Costa Mesa.
RubyBlaise sprays sell from $6 to $18.
Tsouo, a former massage therapist, started making aromatherapy sprays about two years ago for family, friends and parties.
She turned her hobby into a business in January and hasn’t looked back since.
“It’s a challenge trying to get people to understand that essential oils are just as effective as (synthetic) chemicals,” Tsouo said. “When you’re marketing an unknown brand and concept, it’s always difficult.”
Tsouo is betting on a growing demand for natural and environmentally friendly products to give her business a boost this year, she said.
RubyBlaise plans to be more “green” this year by becoming certified organic and using recycled materials for its packaging, Tsouo said.
“It’s not cheap being green but it’s definitely something that we want to be,” she said.
The company plans to hire workers and move into an office space some time this year, Tsouo said.
