A tanning lotion today means a self-tanner that builds color without sun exposure, a trick researchers stumbled on in the 1950s. Here are gradual creams, fast mousses and face drops, with tips for an even result.
Tanning Lotion Without the Sun: Gradual Creams, Mousses and Face Drops
Self-tanning started by accident. In the 1950s the researcher Eva Wittgenstein noticed that dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, browned skin, and Man-Tan, the first known DHA self-tanner, reached shoppers in 1959. The first mass-market sunless tanning lotion followed in 1960. DHA is still the active in most self-tanners, reacting with the top layer of skin to build color that fades as it sheds, with no sun required. A gradual tanning lotion is the easiest way in. Sivan Ayla, who grew up on the beach, founded Lux Unfiltered in 2019 after trying self-tanners that dried skin or looked orange, and Summer Skin builds a natural color in a santal scent. Tan Luxe began in a Glasgow hair salon, where Marc Elrick noticed clients loved their routines but not their fake tan, and its gradual lotion builds slowly. James Read, who spray-tanned clients in London department stores for more than 20 years, self-funded two years of work on Self Glow, and Sisley's self-tanning body care comes from the family-owned French house founded in 1976. Self-tanner does not protect you from the sun, so keep wearing sunscreen.
Mousses for fast color
Mousses give a deeper color in one application. St. Tropez launched in 1996, when the English entrepreneur Judy Naaké licensed a Los Angeles formula, and the Classic Bronzing Mousse dates from that first year. Jules Von Hep, a spray tanner for shows including Dancing with the Stars, started Isle of Paradise in 2018 after mixing color-correcting pigments into his tans backstage, and the express mousse develops in as little as 30 minutes. Saltyface, from a Vancouver couple who wanted a glow through two decades of rainy winters, uses sugar beet-derived DHA in its foam. Isabel Alysa, who grew up in foster care and put everything into a spray tan class at 17, built Dolce Glow, and the Lusso mousse has an olive, brown-based undertone.
For the face, and the skip
Face skin is thinner, so drops you mix into moisturizer give more control. Caudalie's self-tan drops are buildable and suitable for all skin types, and Allies of Skin, founded in Singapore by Nicolas Travis, who trained in biomedical and pharmaceutical science, combines SPF 50 sunscreen with a gradual tan. Lux Unfiltered's Sunstruck drops are hydrating and buildable, and St. Tropez's Sunlit Skin serum adds an instant bronzing tint. What I would skip is applying body tanner to your face. It is usually stronger and can feel heavy, so keep the formulas separate. Blend the edges at your jaw and hairline so there is no line.
Avoiding patchy color
Exfoliate the day before and shave or wax at least a day ahead. Moisturize knees, elbows, ankles and hands before you apply, so they do not grab too much color. Use a mitt, then wash your palms. Wait until it is fully dry before getting dressed, and you will avoid most streaks. Top up every few days as the color fades, and exfoliate before each fresh coat.
