Posted : 06/01/2002

Posted : 06/01/2002

Simply Sunless
Self-Tanners And Bronzers Have Their Place In Salons

by Matt Morgan

The mention of "sunless tanning" used to raise the hackles of many indoor tanning salon owners. The whole concept--tanning without the use of ultraviolet radiation--went against everything salons stood for. Maybe it still does in some cases. After all, why would a customer come to a salon when he could stay at home and apply a lotion for an instant tan? The question isn't as perplexing as it once was. In fact, the truth is sunless can be a salon owner's friend.

As sunless-tanning 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, including self-tanners and bronzers, salons can satisfy yet another group of potential customers. They can build upon the trust of their existing tanners and become an authority for all their skincare needs. When marketed correctly, sunless products can be an excellent ancillary profit center.

Besides, it's becoming a sad fact in this industry that if a salon doesn't carry sunless, that salon might lose business to local drug stores or department stores that do. Worse still, those customers might not come back.

The history of sunless is rather splotchy, unfortunately, which is why many people view the product negatively--even though technology has improved to the point that those problems no longer are an issue. There's a good chance that an uninformed customer only has heard of early generations of sunless: the streaks, the splotches, the uneven application, the orange tint left on the skin. It's not exactly the description of an ideal situation, or an ideal tan, and it's no wonder why a customer might be wary of trying it.

Educating customers about sunless products is the first step in getting them to buy. In fact, informed salon owners may find sunless products to be exactly what they're looking for to diversify business.

How Sunless Works

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 80^oC; used as an intermediate and in fungicides and cosmetics." (Relax. There won't be a test on it.)

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. The reaction develops brown skin coloring that looks very similar to a natural tan.

Skin coloration takes anywhere from two to four hours and lasts three to five days--depending on skin type and the DHA concentration in the lotion. The "tan" fades as the dead layers of skin slough off, just as in normal tanning.

DHA was discovered as a skin-coloring agent in the 1920s and appeared commercially in the 1960s, explains Clara Pettitt on her Web site, Sunless.com. Coppertone was the first to sell an over-the-counter product, Quick Tan, and unfortunately QT's streaks, splotches and orange skin tints quickly encapsulated everything viewed as negative about sunless tanning.

That was then.

In the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration added DHA to its list of approved cosmetic ingredients. Afterward, cosmetic companies began to refine the process to ditch the orange skin coloration for a more healthy-looking brown.

This is now.

As the refining process evolves, companies continue to produce a higher quality, more predictable DHA, Pettitt concludes. The result is a more natural-looking brown tan that mimics the real thing.

UV-less Uses

The mimic part--the golden, tanned look without the UV exposure--will be what sells certain customers on sunless. Those who are cautious about UV hitting their skin can still get the desired healthy-looking glow of a golden tan.

Even the American Academy of Dermatology touts 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.

Salon employees who recognize this can boost their profits with a tailor-made pitch. Aware tanning professionals find their customers use sunless products for a number of special purposes:

• As a quick fix for tanners pressed for time.
• As a tanning booster in between sessions.
• To augment a tan for delicate or hard-to-tan areas such as faces, hands and feet.
• To even out any pressure points, tan lines or uneven spots on the body left from indoor tanning.

Got a reunion next week and don't have the time to build a showoff tan? Sunless is the answer. The quick fix provides instant gratification and lasts nearly as long as a UV tan. In fact, people can reapply the product several days in a row to darken the skin to desired levels.

Regular tanners use sunless products in between sessions to fine-tune their tans to that just-right level. The result is a deeper, richer color. Also, tanners who want a little extra glow but who have exceeded their UV-exposure limit will find solace in sunless. "If they want to achieve or maintain their color without further UV exposure--because they've reached their max going to a salon--a sunless tanner is really good for that," says one industry veteran.

Some tanners prefer to cover their faces with a towel while in the tanning bed in an effort to prevent premature aging. They may wish to use a sunless product on their face instead. Manufacturers have developed products with this in mind.

Indoor tanners may find sunless to be the perfect blender for hot spots and other uneven sections left from the tanning bed. For example, they may want to smooth out color under the arms or at pressure points such as shoulder blades.

Also, it is a great compromise for tanners concerned about tan lines but who don't want to tan in the nude.

Bronzers

Bronzers are similar to self-tanners in that they provide a quick, temporary tan, and many tanners use them for the same purpose--evening out spots or supplementing a golden glow. Unlike self- tanners, which last three to five days, however, bronzers wash off in soap and water.

Since bronzers are a quick fix for tanners pressed for time, they definitely have increased in popularity over the past few years. Many indoor tanning lotion manufacturers have incorporated a lotion with bronzer into their skincare lineup to satisfy tanners' cravings for instant color gratification coupled with superior tanning and moisturizing quality.

Until recently, bronzers were strictly cosmetic. The lotion-based bronzer tints the skin a bronze color when it is applied. With the improvement of DHA technology, manufacturers began including the self- tanning ingredient in bronzers. DHA bronzers provide a mixture of tint and DHA skin reaction. The amount of DHA included in bronzers varies by manufacturer.

While cosmetic bronzers are still widely used, now tanners can get the long-lasting, desirable skin darkening in DHA bronzers that they used to get only in self-tanners.

Some companies do not carry DHA bronzers, while others do. It all depends on the manufacturer's philosophy. One company has what it calls "cheaters": bronzers with 1 percent to 2 percent DHA concentrations compared to 4 percent to 5 percent in typical self-tanners.

Marketing Moves

Like any product, self-tanners and bronzers are best packaged with other skincare products.

One byproduct of self-tanners is skin dryness. (DHA is a skin drying agent.) In many cases, manufacturers of skincare products include moisturizing ingredients in their lotions. Still, salons should have moisturizers on sale to complement self-tanners.

Also, since sunless tanners do not involve the normal process of melanogenesis, the skin does not build up its defenses to UV radiation and is still susceptible to burning. At most, the DHA in self-tanners provide protection of an SPF 2 or 3 from UVB.

The brown color produced by DHA also may provide "significant protection" from UVA, according to results presented at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2000 annual meeting, but it is still a good idea for sunless tanners to wear sunscreen in the sun to prevent skin from burning. These products should be available for purchase from salons.

As is the case with other skincare products, the skin is more receptive to the reactive properties of lotion when it has been properly exfoliated. Consider offering an exfoliator.

Final Thoughts

Self-tanners and bronzers are not the enemy. They get tanners beautifully brown just like a bed or booth does, but without the UV. They act as boosters in between sessions and fill in uneven spots and tan lines. Sunless products have their place in the industry, and if they're not on a salon's shelves, the owner could be missing out on golden sales opportunities.

Self-Tanning Tips

More often than not, tanners' dissatisfaction with a sunless product is a result of 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 should also 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, moisturize the skin to prime it. 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.

More Helpful Hints

Avoid getting formula on clothing. Dress after the formula completely dries (approximately 20 minutes).

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.