Eye Pro, Inc.

The first requirement of most tanners is that they want to tan in clean salons, says Brenda Fishbaugh, Eye Pro president. She came up with the initial concept of Fresh-Ease while dining with a friend in Florida.

“We wanted to do something that was disposable and really clean that tanners are looking for to feel really fresh after they’ve tanned,” she says. “You don’t want to go back to work smelling like a tanning bed.”

Fresh-Ease cloths contain vitamin E and aloe vera and are pre-moistened in disposable, resealable pouches. The 8-inch-by-8-inch cloth neutralizes after-tan odors and has a clean scent that dissipates quickly; this way, the scent doesn’t compete with other products tanning clients wish to use, such as perfumes or colognes.

In addition to eliminating the after-tan odor, Fresh-Ease have a variety of other uses. The cloths may be used prior to tanning to remove makeup, including eye makeup. “It’s really nice because eye makeup is a big cause of raccoon eyes,” Fishbaugh says.

Fresh-Ease also are ideal for removing underarm deodorant. Deodorant contains titanium dioxide, which is a heavy SPF, so users don’t tan under their arms unless they remove it.

Fishbaugh notes that Fresh-Ease have done extremely well in the sunless tanning market. Fresh-Ease proved ideal for tanners who wanted to remove makeup, deodorant and lotions prior to sunless tanning, so the spray application would last longer.

Fresh-Ease won’t streak bronzers. However, Fishbaugh doesn’t recommend using the cloths after spray-on tanning because it may remove some of the DHA. She says it’s great for cleaning airbrush or turbine spray equipment, and the technician also can use it to clean his or her hands.

The idea behind offering single packettes of Fresh-Ease body cloths stems from market demand.

“It’s a great add-on sale for salons,” Fishbaugh says. While many salons offered the product in eight-packs initially, others were still a bit reluctant. “People didn’t really want to spend $4 for an eight-pack of a new product category that they weren’t really familiar with,” she says. “The tanners are going to pay 75 cents for a single towel instead of the 50 cents they would pay if they bought an eight-pack.”

The market response was great for Fresh-Ease in eight-packs, she says: “Everybody really liked the fresh Ocean Mist scent. We had no complaints about it streaking any lotions or any allergic reactions.” Salons that market the cloths have had a wonderful response. For instance, one tanning salon in Kentucky, Sun Tan City, did very well. “One woman sold 87 packs in two shifts,” Fishbaugh says.

Marketing Fresh-Ease in single packs can be another tool for salons to build their income. “Salons are constantly asking for something else to sell,” she says. “We didn’t want to create one more expense for the salon—we wanted to create one more moneymaker.”