From Botticelli’s Birth of Venus to an eye with a trio of swords, to his brand’s signature jackalope, Mad Rabbit CEO Oliver Zak is all too familiar with the pain of getting a tattoo. That’s why the brand’s latest innovation, Mad Glide, makes the experience not only more enjoyable but more tolerable. 

 

The smooth, velvety textured vegan lubricant lends anti-inflammatory support to what the brand touts a “superior, cleaner tattoo experience.” Containing sunflower oil to help skin retain moisture; shea butter to soothe and support a healthy skin barrier; cocoa butter to help protect and nourish irritable skin; and lavender oil to sooth and detoxify reddened skin, the brand’s first pro-facing product gets skin smooth before it gets inked. 

 

“It’s the cleanest and most natural [tattoo] product on the market,” said Zak at a special launch party at upscale tattoo studio Atelier Eva in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Feb. 15. “The brand came to be because we didn’t see any sort of cleaner, natural alternatives for tattoos, whether it’s the healing process, the tattooing process or the aftercare process.”

 

Mad Glide makes ink easier to apply. The tattoo artist applies the glide to bare skin. The lubricant, which smells of beeswax and shea butter, keeps the needle moistened before each time it enters the skin. This prevents a sensation during the tattooing process called “snagging” as the needle is being dragged across the skin. Snagging refers to a sensation that is felt when the needles slow down at the top of the stroke, while the motion of the artist’s hand is not affected. 

 

“As opposed to petroleum-based products, which sit on the skin, this one softens the skin and makes the process easier to push the ink in. The process is less painful,” said Koral Ladna, a tattoo artist who attended the Mad Rabbit fete. “It takes away the resistance of the skin while you’re working.”

Founded in December 2019 by Zak, a Miami University alum, weeks before the covid-19 pandemic surfaced, Mad Rabbit is a digital brand with a name that aims to evoke American folklore vibes. Its mascot is the jackalope, a jackrabbit with antelope horns.

Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban is one of the brand’s biggest investors. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is an investor, too. 

 

Mad Rabbit also partners with Personal Ink (P. ink), a breast cancer fund that helps cancer survivors who want to cover up or beautify their mastectomy scars. In the past two years, Mad Rabbit has sponsored tattoo coverups for six women.  

 

“We’re looking to empower people through their tattoos,” explained Zak. “I think for a lot of people, it’s a confidence thing. It’s also a conversation starter. It adds a little bit of individuality to the average person.”

 

“Our goal is not to let a single person speak on behalf of the brand, but rather it be a platform for everyone telling their own individual stories,” said Zak. 

 

Italian artwork is the theme for Zak’s developing tattoo sleeve. Among them is “Fortune” by early Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini. The painting depicts a woman balancing the ball of fortune on a boat. 

 

“The way I look at it, there’s people who will help guide your path and help you along your way, and there’s people who will need help along the way, but at the end of the day, it’s on you to keep that in balance and focus on your own fortune,” he said.

 

Mad Rabbit’s products include Defend Tattoo Sunscreen with SPF 30; a soothing gel to be applied after a tattoo to aid in the skin’s recovery process; a balm to help a color tattoo retain its vibrancy; and a body lotion and vanilla-coconut-scented body wash to provide moisturization and hydration; among others. 

 

This summer, the brand plans to open a headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, which will house a tattoo and content studio. 

 

“We want to be more than just skin care and more than just a brand. We are looking to be in every aspect of our consumers’ life so that’s everything from consuming our content, which could be watching a video of your favorite chef or NFL player or Olympic swimmer walking through their tattoos—which, by the way, are all often their life story, traumatic or victorious— which lends itself to a very raw and authentic storytelling experience,” Zak asserted.

Pro Glide retails for $25 on madrabbit.com and on Amazon for $30.