If you’ve always wanted to be a golden goddess like Kim Kardashian or Selena Gomez but thought that sunless tanners were icky, we get you. Old-school formulas are notorious for smelling terrible, streaking, and worse, making you look orange! Luckily, those days are over, and we’re here to tell you why sunless tanners are hotter than ever.
BACKGROUND
First, let’s talk a little bit about how self-tanners work. Sunless tanners have always used DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) since they first came onto the scene in the 1960s. DHA is a plant-based ingredient that reacts with the amino acids in the proteins that make up our skin. The reaction causes the skin to stain, which is what gives off our sunless-tan and “that smell.”
MAKING SCENTS
For the last 60 years, scientists have been hard at work to improve the way DHA smells when working on the skin by using advanced ingredients that absorb odor or block the olfactory sensors in our nose so that we can’t smell the DHA reacting with the amino acids in our skin. So, that smell doesn’t have to be a thing anymore.
WINNING STREAK
Back in the day, sunless tanners were infamous for being streaky and patchy. Today, we have evolved with formulas that offer an even finish. From frothy foams and buildable spray tans to creamy lotions and tanning mitts, we now have better options than ever for bronzing it up without the streakage.
DOESN’T RHYME WITH ORANGE
Primitive self-tanning formulas went from zero to orange before you could say Oompa Loompa. Today, you have more control over your tan. You can get a subtle sun-kissed glow, or you can get yourself to a deep golden bronze and skip the orange. Advanced self-tanners are no longer one-size-fits-all orange. They use neutralizing shades that work with your natural skin tone to enhance your shade of tan.
SKIN-LOVING INGREDIENTS
Modern sunless tanning formulas are now using ingredients that don’t just improve your tan; they improve your skin too! Some of the best tanning products out there are using everything from natural extracts and botanicals that hydrate and condition, to nourishing vitamins and minerals that help fight acne and brown spots.