Tanning in the News

Each week, I peruse the headlines for tanning tidbits. Here’s a recap of things I thought might interest salon owners:

• Canadian Anti-Tanning Ad Goes Too Far

Salon owners in New Brunswick are up in arms after the provincial government launched an aggressive anti-tanning marketing campaign targeting the area’s young adults. The Facebook advertisement shows a teen tanning under the lamps of what appears to be an indoor tanning bed – except the bed is actually the interior of a coffin. The text charges, “Using a tanning bed for prom? Know what you're getting into." The ad links to a government site with anti-tanning messaging. According to the Department of Health, the Facebook ad will soon be accompanied by posters. It’s no surprise to find the marketing blitz endorsed by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Interestingly, the area called for an under-18 ban last year, which salons adhere to – yet officials still pursued the anti-tanning marketing geared toward the school-aged population. Full story in the Ottawa Citizen.

• Unsafe Outdoor Tanning among British Teens

The U.K. has also jumped on the anti-tanning bandwagon for residents under the age of 18; perhaps officials should have considered young adults’ love of the sun while they were at it. A recent survey reveals British teens are lying in the sun 12 times longer than the recommended limit, with more than one-third of the young people not wearing sunscreen, and more than one-half not knowing how to apply it properly. Almost half of young people spend up to two hours trying to get a tan without sun protection, believing it to be safe; whereas one in 10 think sunless tanning causes cancer. Full story in the Daily Mail.

• Businessweek Pits UV vs. Sunless

A recent Businessweek article lauds the increasing popularity of spray tanning, crediting sunless celebrity fans for much of the hoopla. The piece notes the great advances in products and services since their early inception (think “orange”), also mentioning the financial growth in this sector, particularly in the last five to seven years.

Rick Norvell, president of Norvell Skin Solutions, was interviewed in the article as a sunless pioneer, corroborating the industry’s growth. Norvell was quoted as saying his sales have already grown by 50 percent this year.

Unfortunately, the article also included a section pitting UV tanning against sunless, stating, “The spray tanning community remains under attack by its perennial foe, the tanning bed industry.” Apparently they neglected to check in with the wide number of UV salons that offer sunless products and services, whether used alone or in conjunction with UV. Full story in Businessweek.