The Sunless Experience
UV-Free Tanning Enjoys Continued Popularity
by Judie Bizzozero
Sunless products provide immediate gratification because they provide a cosmetic, tanned look without UV exposure. Sunless has become an important player because it offers indoor tanning salons a new way to build their businesses and increase profits. Sunless tanning has opened up a limitless market, satisfying not only the tanning enthusiast but individuals who otherwise choose not to tan—indoors or outdoors—or who cannot achieve a tan.
Industry statistics reveal that approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population, or 29.5 million people, currently tan indoors. Sunless provides a new service to existing clients looking to enhance their traditional tanning sessions and may be the catalyst that will attract more non-tanners to the indoor tanning ranks.
As the general public continues its quest to look good and feel good, sunless will become a fast and effective choice. Salons that recognize this can boost profits by offering their clients sunless services as 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.
Salons that have added sunless services report an increase in traditional UV tanning sessions because clients discover that the brown they get from UV-tanning is beautifully complemented by the golden brown achieved from a sunless tanning session. Some salon operators state that use of traditional tanning units increased as much as 30 percent after they introduced sunless services.
When it comes to marketing sunless, it is essential that it be promoted as a complement to traditional UV tanning. Salons must be careful no to trash-talk UV exposure—whether indoors or outdoors. By promoting sensible, moderate and responsible exposure, salons can educate customers and potential customers about the benefits of controlled exposure.
Sunless Equipment Choices
Innovative delivery systems and customized sunless solutions have made interesting inroads over the past few years. In addition to traditional sunless tanners in a bottle, sunless stand-up units and handheld airbrush sunless systems have become extremely popular in just a few years.
Today’s stand-up sunless units feature sophisticated designs and advanced technologies that provide an even, allover tan to customers. Clients 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.
While these units generally are much more expensive— anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000—estimated figures reveal that this segment is growing at a phenomenal rate. According to industry insiders, the number of stand-up sunless units placed in professional tanning salons has grown about 200 percent over the past four years. In fact, it is estimated that more than 2,500 stand-up units will be in place nationwide by Dec. 31.
For salons not ready to make such a large investment, airbrush tanning provides an affordable way to offer sunless. Handheld units can be purchased for less than $1,000 and provide salons with portable compressor units and sunless solutions that allow them to get up and running immediately. Companies supplying these units and solutions report phenomenal demand this season and anticipate the interest to continue.
The airbrush systems 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 stand-up units, customers don’t seem to mind. Salons can apply airbrush applications right at the front counter in a matter of minutes. 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 offer innovations such as airbrushes that provide a larger spray for use on the torso, back and legs, and ventilated booths that address privacy and overspray issues.
The Juice
Known as “juice” by industry suppliers, today’s sunless solutions are formulated by industry manufacturers 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 sunless tanning, DHA spray solutions have experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. Manufacturers report steady business for 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. 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 popular ingredient 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, erythrulose may help lengthen a sunless tan’s life for a day or two. It is important to remind customers that many factors, including shaving, pool chemicals and other environmental factors, affect the life of a sunless tan.
The issue of fragrance has been addressed nicely. For years, one couldn’t discuss sunless tanning without mentioning its unappealing smell. Today’s manufacturers have addressed the problem by adding materials that flatten the odor or add delicate fragrance.
Additionally, sunless prep products help ready the skin for the sunless experience. These products can include pH balancers, exfoliators and body washes just to name a few. Tan-extending moisturizers that contain a bronzer or a hint of DHA also prolong the life of a tan.
A Sunny Horizon
Whichever method of delivery a salon chooses, there is no debate that sunless tanning provides a faster, even and more consistent color thanks to advancements in technology. 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.
ABCs Of DHA
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. 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.
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 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. 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.
