Sunless Explosion
Expanding The Tanning Populous With Better Formulas, Delivery
Systems
by Judie Bizzozero
For those skeptical of adding sunless to their facilities, remember this: Tanners and non-tanners want to look good and feel good. Only 10 percent of the U.S. population, or 29 million individuals, currently tan indoors, so consider the possibilities. What better way to double or even triple the number of tanners in the United States than by introducing them to non-UV tanning?
Many industry insiders believe sunless tanning will be the vehicle that drives the indoor tanning industry's expansion because it has the potential to bring billions of dollars worth of additional business. Yet, some salon owners fear sunless will compete with their indoor tanning businesses, and that's why they don't carry those products. In reality, the opposite is true. Business-savvy salon owners understand that their retail sales will skyrocket if they present themselves as total suncare and skincare specialists, able to fulfill every related need of their clients.
Salon operators offering ancillary services report that their businesses don't suffer the ups and downs of the tanning off-season. In fact, a large number report that incorporating sunless into their services has increased traditional UV tanning sessions.
Sunless products provide immediate gratification because they provide a cosmetic, tanned look without the UV exposure. Individuals who choose not to use UV tanning devices still can get the desired healthy-looking glow of a golden tan. Salons that recognize this can boost profits with a tailor-made pitch. Customers use sunless products for a number of reasons including a quick fix when they are pressed for time, a tanning booster between traditional UV sessions, to touch up delicate or hard-to-tan areas such as faces, hands and feet, and to even out any pressure points, tan lines or uneven spots on the body.
Even the American Academy of Dermatology has touted the popularity of self-tanners. "Significant improvements have been made in the formulas of self-tanners in recent years, making them easier to use with better results," said Stanley B. Levy, M.D., speaking at the AAD's 2000 annual meeting.
This season, the media have played a positive role in helping sunless achieve some limelight. Salons nationwide have received a host of coverage via radio, magazine, newspaper and Internet mediums. Interestingly, it seems the media are happy to report on something positive about tanning instead of the customary scare articles and resurgence of urban legends that pop up during the spring.
It cannot be stressed enough that sunless should be promoted as a complement to traditional UV tanning. The sun-scare coalition spends billions of dollars each year promoting the dangers of UV exposure. Spas or other beauty-related industries should refrain from blatant scare tactics about UV in order to profit from selling other products or services. Not only is this unprofessional behavior, it's a slap in the face to an industry that has made incredible strides to overcome decades of negative publicity. If the public's only exposure to a tanning salon is what the sun-scare coalition wants them to know, then the indoor tanning industry is destined to lose.
As an industry, we should welcome the opportunity to explain to our customers, and potential customers, the benefits of sensible, responsible and moderate tanning. By doing so, we will gain respect and perhaps a large number of new customers. If a salon owner can cross-sell and educate clients about the healthful benefits of UV tanning and provide them with the cosmetic benefits of sunless, then it is a win-win situation. Salons also have the opportunity to introduce a whole new group of customers to the luxurious skincare products formulated specifically for this industry.
Delivering The Goods
While bottled self-tanners have led the sunless race for years, innovative delivery systems and customized solutions have made interesting inroads over the past few years.
Emerging onto the scene a few years ago, spray-on tanning units once were considered taboo to indoor tanning industry veterans. However, today's systems feature sophisticated designs and advanced technology that provide an even, all-over tan to customers and offer tanning salons a whole new revenue center that ultimately will increase traffic and profits. Customers enjoy the privacy of the spray-on booths, as well as the results, while salon owners welcome automated systems that don't consume employees' time with cleaning and setup.
Estimated figures reveal that this segment is growing at a phenomenal rate. Since 1999, the number of stand-up sunless units placed in professional tanning salons has grown about 200 percent. In fact, we estimate that by the end of this year more than 2,500 stand-up units will be in place nationwide.
Some salon operators state that use of traditional tanning units increased as much as 30 percent after they introduced a spray-on sunless booth. A lot of tanners find that the brown they get from UV-tanning is beautifully complemented by the golden brown they can get from a sunless tanning system.
While some salons have opted to offer sunless-only tanning, that number is relatively low. In fact, the majority of sales are comprised of one-unit placement to complement an established salon's traditional UV offering. Interestingly, the amount of repeat business is growing by leaps and bounds as multistore owners add units to their other facilities after seeing the profit potential.
Increasingly popular this season is the demand for airbrush sunless tanning systems. These units are relatively inexpensive, compared to their spray-on booth counterparts, and provide salons with portable compressor units and sunless solutions that allow them to get up and running immediately. Companies supplying these units and formulas have reported phenomenal demands this season and anticipate the interest to continue.
The airbrush system seems to appeal particularly to customers who desire a quick fix for their face or uneven tan lines. While airbrushing does not have the same privacy factor as the spray-on booths, customers don't seem to mind. Salons can apply airbrush applications right at the front counter in a matter of minutes and make a nice, little profit. However, salons that provide full-body airbrushing should have a private room or designated area in the salon reserved for this service.
Since a salon employee administers airbrushing, fatigue can be a factor for a busy salon. Many manufacturers are introducing new innovations including airbrushes that provide a larger spray for use on the torso, back and legs, as well as ventilated booths that address privacy and overspray issues.
Whichever method of delivery a salon chooses, there is no debate that spray-on booths and airbrush systems provide a faster, even and more consistent color thanks to advancements in technology.
It's In The Solution
Although available at any retail outlet, bottled sunless lotions and sprays continue to sell well at the salon level. Industry manufacturers produce some of the finest products formulated specifically to provide a luxurious finish and more appealing fragrance. These products allow indoor tanners to stay brand loyal, even when choosing a non-UV approach to tanning.
Due to an increase in spray-on tanning, DHA spray solutions have experienced tremendous growth this season. Many manufacturers report that their phones are ringing off the hook for these solutions that provide a customized range of colors. Solutions can be clear for a delayed tanning effect or tinted with different levels of bronzers for immediate results.
With or without the addition of bronzers, the solutions use roughly the same ratio of DHA--3 percent to 5 percent--and are available in different viscosities for various applications. For example, airbrush solutions generally are thinner in viscosity for a fine-mist result and spray booth solutions are thicker in viscosity for more body coverage.
Advancements in the quality of finish and color are driving forces behind the popularity of solution. One ingredient receiving much attention is erythrulose, which experts say enhances a sunless tan's finish. Four to five times the cost of DHA, erythrulose is very similar chemically to DHA and works synergistically with it very well to give a more natural-looking tan. It also reduces the dryout associated with DHA products and, as a result, diffuses more uniformly into the stratum corneum to produce an even tan and alleviate the extreme drying effects associated with DHA.
While DHA changes the color of skin within four to 24 hours, erythrulose needs about two to three days for the skin to show a color change. Experts agree that in addition to providing a more luxurious color, it may help lengthen a sunless tan's life for a day or two. However customers should be reminded that many factors, including shaving, pool chemicals and other environmental factors affect the life of a sunless tan.
Another important advancement this season is in the area of fragrance. Sunless tanning products have battled the DHA smell for years, and many manufacturers are addressing this with the addition of materials that flatten the odor or add delicate fragrance. It is important to note that many fragrances are incompatible with DHA, as well as erythrulose, and manufacturers must take caution not to address the odor problem on one side and alter the formula's stability on the other.
Many suppliers are introducing prep products that help level the pH of the skin and hydrate cells to get them ready for the sunless process. The skin's pH balance is extremely important to how DHA products function with the skin. An alkaline pH causes the tan to orange, whereas a slightly acidic pH reduces this color problem.
The Science Of Sunless
The Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology defines dihydroxyacetone like so: "CH2HOCOCH2OH, a colorless, hygroscopic, crystalline powder; soluble in water and alcohol; melts at 80C; used as an intermediate and in fungicides and cosmetics."
The tanning industry recognizes dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, as the colorless sugar that makes the magic happen in the self-tanning process. DHA reacts with skin proteins, including amino acids, in the outermost layer of skin called the stratum corneum. The reaction develops brown skin coloring that looks very similar to a natural tan.
DHA was discovered as a skin-coloring agent in the 1920s and appeared commercially in the 1960s. Unfortunately, some of the first over-the-counter products left consumers with streaks, splotches and orange skin. These cosmetic problems, as well as an unpleasant odor from the DHA, left a bad taste in some of the public's mouth.
However, the Food and Drug Administration added DHA to its list of approved cosmetic ingredients in the 1970s. Afterward, cosmetic companies began to refine the process to ditch the orange skin coloration for a more healthy-looking brown. As the refining process evolves, companies continue to produce higher-quality, more predictable sunless products that provide more natural-looking, golden tans.
Noticeable skin coloration takes anywhere from two to four hours and lasts five to seven days--depending on skin type and the DHA concentration in the lotion or spray solution. The entire exfoliation cycle--from bottom of epidermis to the stratum corneum--takes roughly 28 days. It is important to realize that the exfoliation cycle of the stratum corneum--where the DHA reacts with proteins--is about seven days, depending upon the individual.
To achieve optimal results, the skin should be properly exfoliated prior to applying a sunless product. Research has shown that the smoother the surface of the skin, the more evenly the tan will fade. About three to four hours after the DHA-containing product is applied to skin, a tan color begins to appear. The reaction is complete in approximately 24 hours. Areas of thicker skin, such as elbows and knees, react more with DHA and produce a stronger color. To achieve a more uniform tan, loose cells should be exfoliated prior to tanning and consumers should use a professional salon-grade moisturizer.
A Symbiotic Relationship
As sunless technology improves and education about it spreads through the industry, salon owners are beginning to understand the symbiotic relationship between salons and sunless.
By offering these products and delivery systems, indoor tanning salons can satisfy yet another group of potential customers who may never tan indoors. Once those customers use sunless, they most likely will purchase moisturizers and skincare products as well. But salons should not overlook their core UV-tanning customers. Many traditional tanners will use spray-on units for a quick fix or even a nice change to their tanning regime. Remember to market sunless as a complement to UV tanning and watch the customer base and profits grow.
Self-Tanning Tips
More often than not, tanners' dissatisfaction with sunless products is a result of the skin not being prepared properly or improper application. The following step-by-step, self-tanning tips help eliminate the guesswork and bring out the glamour of a golden tan.
- Conduct a patch test. Each person's skin may react differently to the formula. Conducting a patch test guarantees you will like the color.
- Exfoliate the surface area. Use a loofah to exfoliate your skin and remove dead skin cells. For women, the legs also should be shaved first. Exfoliation and shaving help ensure the surface of your skin is smooth, which helps the formula apply evenly for best results. Users report longer-lasting results when dead skin cells are exfoliated prior to application.
- Moisturize the skin before applying the self-tanner. Skin that's hydrated and moisturized will better accept the formula.
- Apply evenly. Even application is the key to great results. First, liquefy the lotion by rubbing a small amount together in your hands. Then apply the formula to the face, neck and body using a thin, even coat. Use a small, circular motion when applying.
- Wash hands with soap immediately after application. A great-looking tan will develop within four hours.
- Avoid getting formula on clothing. Dress after the formula completely dries (this varies with the application process).
- Apply formula to legs and arms when straight so the joints do not look darker than the rest of the body.
- Use self-tanners to even out tans and cover tan lines.
- To create a darker tan, reapply the formula two or three times, allowing three to four hours between applications.
- To maintain your sunless tan, reapply every few days.
