Indoor Tanning Lotions – What you need to know!

A brief and informative summary about indoor tanning lotions.

Indoor tanning lotions accelerate the tanning process by encouraging the production of melanin. They are designed for indoor use with an ultraviolet source such as a sunbed, as indoor tanning lotions usually don’t contain SPF protection. Always remember to use outdoor specific lotions if you’re tanning outdoors. (A miracle in this country!)
Indoor tanning lotions are essential as they keep your skin moisturised (enhancing your glow) and they will also allow you to tan faster. These lotions aid in the absorption of UV rays, without your skin drying out.
Did you know it can take up to 6-7 minutes for UV light to penetrate dry skin, and only 30 seconds to penetrate moist skin? UV rays bounce off dry skin.

Ingredients:

Indoor tanning lotions are designed to use only special ingredients that will not damage sunbed acrylics. This is an important factor people may not realise, as many outdoor tanning lotions contain oily ingredients (mineral oil etc) which can build up and result in damage to the acrylics! If you’re a sunbed owner you’ll know that acrylics aren’t the cheapest thing in the world, so it is within your best interests to keep them in top condition. Always use indoor specific tanning cosmetics to avoid any unnecessary wear.
Common ingredients used with indoor tanning lotions include Melanin and L-tyrosine. You will frequently find ingredients such as Tea oil, Copper, Green Tea extract and many other natural oils, selected to avoid damage to acrylics. An example of a product with green tea extract is “Green Tea” from Magical Sun.
It is available in 12ml sachets and 150ml bottles.

Tingle effect

Some lotions will feature a “Tingle” effect which feature ingredients that will increase the blood flow at skin level, causing a tingling sensation. These are designed to increase the skin cell’s micro circulation and oxygenation, creating deep, dark tanning outcomes as a result. These products tend to be for advanced tanners, rather than beginners and those with sensitive skin.
An example of these products is “Hot touch”
Like the Green Tea, it is available in 12ml sachets and 150ml bottles.

Bronzers:

Some lotions produce a bronzing effect. These are known as bronzers and will commonly contain DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) which is derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane. This is a 100% safe substance used by all indoor tanning manufacturers. It will quickly deepen your tan and leave you looking “Bronzed” hence the name.
Here’s an article we have already produced about DHA:
https://blog.bestsunbeds.co.uk/dha-dihydroxyacetone-what-is-it/

Summary:

It is absolutely essential for you to accompany your sunbed session with an indoor tanning lotion. Not only do they protect your skin from dryness, they also accelerate your tan. Many of these products have additional benefits to the skin through the use of safe, natural, moisturising ingredients. There are many popular brands to choose from, we recommend “Magical Sun” and “eXtreme Tan” as they are half the price of most salon cosmetics, and contain the same great ingredients.