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.