FAQs
If it isn’t covered here, email info@telcollection.com.au — the founder reads them.
Can I use it on a brand-new tattoo?
That’s exactly what it’s built for. Restore Balm goes on from day zero — the thinnest possible layer on clean, dry skin, matte not shiny. Always follow the aftercare instructions your artist gives you first. The full day-by-day routine is in The Healing Guide.
When do I switch from the balm to the cream?
Restore Balm carries roughly the first two weeks while the skin closes. Once flaking is finished and there are no open patches, step down to Recovery Cream daily — that’s the jar that carries the piece through the months it takes to settle. It earns its keep on healed work too — freshening older pieces and helping colour read fuller.
Why is it sealed as a set?
Because the routine is the product. The first two weeks decide how the piece settles. Everything after that decides how it looks in a decade. Selling the balm on its own would sell you half a job — so it’s one set, one price, never sold apart.
What’s actually in it?
Both lists in full, exactly as they read on the jars.
Restore Balm
Petrolatum, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Cera Alba (Beeswax), Microcrystalline Wax, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract.
Recovery Cream
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-20 Stearate, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Bark Extract, Opuntia Streptacantha Stem Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, CI 19140.
Restore Balm is built on petrolatum. The most effective occlusive there is — it holds the skin’s own moisture in while fresh work closes over. High-purity grade, sealed in a 60 ml jar, and one of nine ingredients. The full reasoning is in The Healing Guide.
The cream carries the conditioning half: glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to hold water, shea butter and panthenol to soften and comfort, tocopherol, and a botanical set led by purslane, aloe, houttuynia and baicalensis.
Every batch is tested — no detectable lead, arsenic, mercury or cadmium — with a three-year shelf life.
I have sensitive skin — anything I should know?
Patch test first: a small amount on the inside of your forearm, wait 24 hours.
Worth knowing before you start. Restore Balm contains lavender, chamomile and turmeric oils. Recovery Cream is preserved with phenoxyethanol and methylparaben. If you have a known fragrance or essential-oil allergy, that is the part to check.
If you have a skin condition or a known allergy, check with your doctor or pharmacist before use — and always follow your artist’s instructions on fresh work.
How long does a set last?
Depends on the size of the work. For a typical piece, Restore Balm sees out the two-week close with plenty in reserve, and Recovery Cream gives you months of daily care. Thin layers are the trick — a drowned tattoo can’t breathe, and thick layers just waste product.
How fast is shipping?
Free standard shipping Australia-wide, dispatched from Surfers Paradise within 1–2 business days, tracking emailed. Express Post is $15 at checkout. Or skip the wait entirely — it’s on the counter at Squires Ink, Shop 7/26 Orchid Ave, Surfers Paradise.
What’s the returns policy on skincare?
Unopened, sealed sets can come back within 30 days. Opened products can’t, for hygiene reasons — but if anything is faulty or not as described, the Australian Consumer Law has you covered and so do we. Full detail in Shipping & Returns.
Does it work on old, healed tattoos?
That’s half the reason it exists. Dry skin scatters light and makes black look grey. Hydrated skin holds colour. Recovery Cream freshens healed work and helps colour read fuller — sixty seconds after a shower.
Who’s behind TEL?
Benny Aquilina — seventeen years under the needle, still to this day — owner of Squires Ink Tattoo Studio in Surfers Paradise. Everything is built in-house and worn on his own skin before it carries the name. Read the founder’s story.