Indoor Tanning Lotion | Tan Accelerator - Bronzers

A lot of indoor tanning lotions on the market these days contain what is called a tan accelerator or bronzer.  This type of tan accelerator is very popular with those who do self tanning and has often been toted as the best and fastest way to get a deep natural tan.

What are Indoor Tanning Accelerators?

The difference that sets a bronze, tan accelerator apart from other tanning lotions is the fact that they promote tanning of the skin without necessary exposure to sunlight and / or UV rays.  The idea behind bronzers is to give the self tanner an almost immediate bronze colour without sun or sunbed exposure.

The most common and most effective additives in tan accelerators are certain chemicals that react with the different proteins and amino acids found on the skin. 

We have discussed dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in a previous post.  It is added to indoor tanning lotion products to assist with the tanning process.  It is often used along with another ingredient called Erythrulose.

Erythrulose is a very similar chemical that turns brown or bronze when coming into contact with the skin.  Generally, when use together with dihydroxyacetone (DHA) it improves the length of time that the tan will last.

Different types of Bronzer:

Hot Bronzers refer to bronzers that have ingredients added to them that make the skin tingle or feel hot.  Usually this tingle is nothing to worry about as it is just the way the lotion stimulates the skin.

Cool Bronzers have cooling ingredients, such as menthol, to cool and soothe the skin.

Other bronzers do not fall into either the hot or cool category, but rather offer non-tingle products that are enriched with vitamins and moisturisers.  The Australian Gold Swedish Beauty bronzing line is a good example of this.

Though these types of indoor tanning lotion additives are very effective (some are more effective than others), they do eventually wear off and so are often used to kick-start the actual sunbed tanning process.  

Usually a tanner would apply a bronzer when starting out but would go for a few sun bed sessions as well so that when the tan accelerator wears off the real tan is already in place.

Indoor Tanning Lotion | Benefits of using Indoor Tanning Lotion

With the destruction of the ozone layer exposing us to ever more hazardous UV in sunlight, the advantages of using an indoor tanning lotion are easy to see.  Everyone knows that you are at risk with continuous overexposure to various skin diseases and cancer.

Unfortunately the standard view of a good looking, healthy person has not changed, and a bronzed body is still the goal of many.  In order to still attain that healthy tanned look people are using various self tanners and tan accelerators, also visiting salons for various sun bed treatments.  Often an indoor tanning lotion will be used before and after a sun bed treatment.

The benefits are as follows:

•    You don’t have to be exposed to harsh sunlight.  Tanning treatments at a good tanning salon are monitored and timed to provide just the right amount of exposure without being at risk of skin problems.

•    No burnt back and lily white belly.  Lotions used in conjunction with tanning beds ensure a good all over tan, by reason of their controlled environment.

•    Costume (or bathing suit) tans can be eliminated.

•    It’s quicker.  No longer do you have to spend hours in the sun worrying about whether you’ve had enough, or too much sun.  Indoor tanning lotions enable you to spend ten to fifteen minutes, two or three sessions per week to get that tan.

•    Tanning Lotions can enable you to go for fewer treatments.  The ingredients in the lotion, (for example Tyrosine) improve the colour of the tan with fewer sun bed sessions.

•    These tanning products provide some protection for the skin.  Different additives such as hempseed oil and Vitamin E moisturise and add anti ageing properties to the skin to combat damaging UV rays.  Certain lotions have a degree of UV protection.

These lotions will actually accelerate the effect of the sun and could cause severe burning if used incorrectly so it is not recommended to be used outside.  This is so even though some indoor tanning lotions provide a certain amount of UV protection.

Indoor Tanning Lotion – How does it work?

Many people do not know where to start when choosing an indoor tanning lotion.  They are worried about the effects that these tan accelerators might have on their skin.  They have reason to worry, because everybody’s body and skin will react to a tanning lotion in a different way.  

The tingle that is caused when applying some of these indoor tanning lotions is another aspect which affects many people differently.  Some people worry about this tingle and what it is actually doing to their skin.  Different chemicals are added to these tanning products to actually produce this tingle.  This begs the questions:  

What ingredients are found in these products?

Why do these lotions tingle?

Common Tanning Lotion Ingredients:

Some of the most common ingredients are those that aid the tan and those that moisturise.  

An indoor tanning lotion is useless if it does not actually help your skin tan.  In order to facilitate the skin’s changing colour, different chemicals are used in order to stimulate the skin to produce more melanin, which in turn causes your skin colour to change.  The chemical L-Tyrosine is one of these chemicals. Often, actual melanin is added to the lotions, especially for those that do not cause any tingle.  The ingredient Dihydroxyacetone (otherwise known as DHA) is added sometimes to assist with achieving an almost immediate tanning effect.  Different types of copper are also used to add to that bronzing effect.

Other ingredients are added to preserve and increase the moisture retention of the skin.  These ingredients vary from product to product.  Some of them use tea tree oil, walnut oil, hempseed oil, and some combine cooling additives such as menthol.

Lotion Tingle – Is It Safe?

This type of tan accelerator is generally safe, especially if used according to the instructions.  The tingle is caused by the active ingredients that actually stimulate the skins own production of melanin.

Different people react in different ways to these ingredients and usually there is no adverse reaction.  However, there is no guarantee that one might have an allergic type reaction to these products.  It is therefore prudent to carefully test your indoor tanning lotion and indeed any tan accelerator on a small part of your skin, before applying it liberally all over your body. 

Indoor Tanning Lotion

An increasing amount of people (especially women) are looking at, or are using an indoor tanning lotion for a way to get a tan.  Tanning indoors holds an appeal because people want to tan without the risk of being exposed to damaging sunlight that can cause burning and even skin cancer.

Indoor tanning lotions are different to suntan lotions or sunblock.  They have no sun protection factor (SPF).  It is up to those who use these tanning lotions to decide if they want to use these lotions when outside and exposed to sunlight.  The fact is that instead of providing protection to the skin from UV (ultraviolet) rays, indoor tanning lotions actually increase the effect of ultraviolet light rather than blocking it, and are meant to be used indoors, as their name suggests, on properly timed tanning beds.  Spending long periods of time outside after application can cause uncontrolled exposure and damage the skin.

As well as using them for self tanning, many people use these lotions to combat the dehydration of their skin, and so the moisturising effects that they contain enable many people who tan often, to use these lotions and as an effective moisturiser after tanning.

Some of these indoor tanning lotions produce a slight tingling sensation on the skin once they have been applied.  This is caused by chemicals within the lotion that stimulate blood flow to the applied area.  The blood flows to the skin faster than is usual and this increase in blood flow brings about an increase in melanin (the chemical which provides your skin’s colour).  The more melanin that is exposed to the sunbed UV the more of a tan one gets.  Different people have different reactions to the tingle with some reporting no tingle at all.

For those who do not enjoy the tingle or are worried and uncomfortable with it, there are those lotions that actually contain melanin and do not cause the tingling effect.  Other additives in are natural oils such as primrose oil, which help with the moisture retention of the skin.  This aids with preventing dehydration.  The chemical DHA (dihydroxyacetone) is also found in most lotions and is one ingredient that enables the indoor tanning lotion to give your skin that wonderful tanned, bronze look.