Sunless Tanning Product Lines Reviewed
Sunless Tanning Product Lines Reviewed Au Courant - This companies' Bronze Face Gel, Dark, is a fine lite-scented sunless tanner for the face. Going on easily, drying quick and light, it boasts AHA to help with skin exfoliation while it colors. Their Instant Sunless Tanning Lotion is said to have a slight odor and be a little thick for easy application, but overall helps with good coloring for people with light to medium skin tones. Bain de Soleil - Their Soleil Streakguarde Tinted Self Tanner Foam rates as a super foam self tanner and sub-par lotion. Great color results, light nice scent and ease of application are other highlights. Many recommend the product for light skin, although there is a "dark" version for those with darker coloring, too. Note that reviewers did not prefer lotions or foams from Bain de Soleil, though. They shared dislikes for the products' bad scents and too light coloring. Banana Boat Product Line - Highly recommended line of tanners. Some double as good moisturizers. They boast vitamins A and E and a snappy fragrance of coconut mixed with mandarin. By rubbing their lotion on prior to your tanning sessions can help keep your skin moist, allowing it to tan better. Their crème version is said to go on light and smooth with a good scent, but is not the choice for those wanting darker tanning. When using the instant sunless lotion version, results improved when mixing or diluting it half-and-half first with a moisturizer. And although their so-so tanning accelerator boasts a great coconut oil scent, this product's SPF 4, not from titanium dioxide, avobenzone or zinc oxide, is not said to be effective against UVA rays. California North - California North Titanium Self Tanner is a preferred product with a nicer scent than most competitor products, good coloring, fading and good ease-of-application. Not ideal for darker tanning, though. Clarins - Their gel has reportedly been more like a lotion and their product pricing a little high, application greasy yet quick-drying and lightly fragrant. Coppertone - Beware permanent fabric stains, color bleeding off on everything, and somewhat strong smell (that fades) reported with this self-tanning product line. Quick, long-lasting and attractive coloring results, though. Great results reported with red heads and exfoliation beforehand. For some products in this line, only a thin application is needed. Doctor's Dermatologic Formula [DDF] - This fragrance-free self-tanner applies smooth, easy and even. Very good coloring. Use repeated applications to darken as desired. Hawaiian Tropic Tan 2 Max Indoor Tanning Lotion - Another great indoor tanner / moisturizer product. Exotic fragrance, non-oil-based, this contains no SPF but absorbs quickly, leaving no unwanted greasy residue. Jan Tana - A little pricey, messy and smelly, this self-tanner goes on very dark. Lighter-skinned people may prefer an alternative product. John Abate Babie - This two-thumbs up, somewhat pricey tanning accelerator is toted as being a hi-quality moisturizer. Non-greasy and light, this product tends to stay on longer than its competitors. And the main attraction is its "baby" powder scent! Two other great varieties are: John Abate Mango Flambe and John Abate Titanium. Lancome - This fast drying self-tanner reportedly has a high alcohol content, so those with sensitive skin need to take note. (Some products in the line carry a flammable warning). Good color. Bad alcohol smell. Neutrogena - Their self-tanning products come in lotion and foam form. The foams aren't highly recommended. And the lotion form has been reported to spread easier with a sponge applicator, otherwise patchy spots can result. Both have reportedly light smells that do go away quickly though. And Neutrogena tanning sprays have left many orange-colored. Philosophy - The self-tanner is known for good average pricing, dark coloring, OK scent. Heavy applications or repeated applications improved tanning results, too. St. Tropez - Their tanning kit offers a complete line to help with exfoliation, self-tanning and moisturizing products all-in-one package. Products have light, good scent, apply easy and smooth, product overall very good tan. Watch pricing of individual products; some reportedly need heavy applications and carry heavy prices. Supre Vibe - This medium-priced, fresh-scented accelerator rates well. Applies smooth with low vibe or tingle feeling. Tantowel - These easy-to-use, good scented towlettes are super except for one main thing; the coloring is reported to be lacking. Even using more than one per application yielded only minor coloring results with some users. SUNLESS TANNING RESOURCES & FUN FINDS For some more tanning information and fun tanning solutions, here are some great places to turn, listed in no particular order. Sunless.com - First head to their free Product Picker "MikoMatic." You select your skin type from a drop-down menu, and select a variety of other factors that would help to determine your product purchase like price range, fragrance type, if you want sunscreen protection as well and more. When you're finished with your selections, click on "Show My Matches" for your results with links to products for you to check out further. Go back and tweak your input to see what else is available to compare. The site also offers detailed product reviews broken down by brand name and type of product, like Banana Boat, Sunless Tanning Spray Soft Medium. They also list the Top 20 Sunless Tanning Products, how to handle various application issues, message board and community areas for interaction, photos with contest and some articles. Tanningsite.com - This site doesn't offer as much variety, but does share detailed product reviews by product category; Self-Tanners, Moisturizers, Tan Accelerators, and more. They even have a category for Tan Thru Swimsuits. National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) - Online at http://www.cdc.gov/ChooseYourCover this site has lots of information about sun exposure with resources about skin cancer. Contact them offline, too, for more information at: CDC/DCPC 4770 Buford Hwy, NE MS K64, Atlanta, GA 30341 Toll-free information line: 1-888-842-6355 FAX: 1-770-488-4760 E-mail cancerinfo@cdc.gov U. S. Department of Health and Human Services - Their department of U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has a boatload of information at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-sun.html . Their up-to-date resources at this site cover Suntan Products, Sunscreens, and Tanning. Find out the latest warning and tips for using tanning products and devices. Contact them offline at: Food and Drug Administration 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, Maryland 20857 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) In conclusion, when looking for a tanning solution, check out the variety of products available. Sunless-tanning products offer safer tanning and many choices of forms and formulas for everyone across the board from young to old. And sunscreen products are definitely needed outdoors and also come in a variety of choices for everyone. So be prepared. Be safe. And have fun in the sun!
This article is part of our Tanning Bed Solutions section on Commercial Tanning Beds.
