Getting a great tan
Strongest tanning lotion: 3 types of tanning accelerator compared
In short
- The strongest tanning accelerator is a tingle, which warms and tingles the skin.
- The most versatile: an accelerator with bronzers; the gentlest: a bronzer-free accelerator.
- The best one is the one that suits your skin; try a tingle in a sachet first.
Everyone is looking for THE perfect product to tan fast. Of course, it all depends on what you expect. But to choose well, it helps to understand the basics: there are three families of tanning accelerators, and they’re not in the same league.
Tanning accelerator or tan activator: how does it work?
Under UV rays, the epidermis produces melanin, the pigment that colours your skin: that’s how you tan. A tanning accelerator (or tan activator) is a tanning lotion you apply before tanning, on a sunbed or in the sun. It boosts melanin production and deeply hydrates your skin, for an even tan and a lovely golden glow. Depending on its family, it adds colour (bronzers) or warmth (tingle).
1. Bronzer-free accelerators: the gentlest
These all have roughly the same strength, because their active ingredient is the same: an amino acid, L-tyrosine, a precursor of melanin (we explain it in detail in tyrosine and tanning). You can’t boost melanin endlessly. So what sets one accelerator apart from another is its extra benefits: hydration, anti-ageing, firming, sensitive skin.
Examples: Supertan’s Palm Beach, anti-ageing, or Soleo’s Mango Tango, for sensitive skin. These are the products to choose for your first sessions and for fair skin.
2. Accelerators with bronzers: the most versatile
This family covers nearly 80% of products. They contain more or less self-tanning agent, of different kinds (DHA, erythrulose, natural bronzing agents), and they really are different from one another. With good brands (Soleo, Supertan, Australian Gold), the bronzer is well balanced: no streaks, unless you trowel it on, and a colour that’s never orange. For the best result, always apply the product evenly.
Bronzers don’t create the colour, they transform it: they give your tan its depth and its coppery glow. These products suit olive skin or skin that’s already well tanned. Examples: Soleo’s Bronze Satisfaction or Supertan’s Pineapple Mango, with aloe vera and vitamin E. To understand it all: self tan (DHA) in tanning accelerators.
3. Tingle sunbed creams: the strongest tanning accelerators
The last family: the ‘tingle’. Usually with bronzers, more rarely without, it works on the skin’s surface micro-circulation and creates a tingling, warming sensation. These are the most effective, strongest products, the ones that take you further when products from families 1 and 2 no longer do enough.
Some people tolerate the tingle better than others. The smart move: start with a sachet before ordering a bottle, to see how your skin reacts. Examples: Soleo’s Tingle Bell (tyrosine, DHA and a warming agent), Soleo’s Spicy Butter, a bronzer-free tingle with cocoa butter and sweet almond oil, or, for experienced tanners, Supertan’s Tropical Fruits (DHA, beta-carotene and tyrosine). The whole family is in our tingle category.
Which is the best tanning accelerator for you?
The best tanning product isn’t necessarily the strongest: it’s the one that suits your skin and how tanned you already are.
- Fair skin or first sessions: a bronzer-free accelerator, to build a natural tan.
- Olive or already tanned skin: an accelerator with bronzers, for a darker, more golden tan.
- A tan that has stalled: a tingle, starting with a sachet.
- Legs that stay pale: a dedicated product, such as Supertan’s Hollywood Legs, with DHA and a warming tingle (see our leg tanning lotions).
How to tan fast: prepare your skin before, make your tan last after
A strong product doesn’t do it all. To get the most from your tan and tan faster from your very first sessions:
- prepare your skin before your first sessions: an exfoliating scrub to remove dead skin cells and, if needed, a base tan accelerator (a cream or a tanning supplement);
- apply your accelerator just before your session, in a thin layer (see when to apply tanning accelerator);
- moisturise after tanning with an after-tan moisturiser that extends your tan, such as Soleo’s So Moist.
How to recognise each family
In the vast majority of cases, products with bronzers have the word ‘bronzer’ in their name, while bronzer-free ones are called ‘accelerator’. Tingles, for their part, make it clear in their name. And on every product page in our shop, we state whether the product contains bronzers.
Frequently asked questions
Does tanning accelerator protect against sunburn?
Our sunbed accelerators contain no SPF: they don’t replace sun cream. In the sun, choose That'so Pure Sun SPF 20/30/50, both sun protection and a tyrosine tanning accelerator: one application gives SPF 20, two give SPF 30, three give SPF 50+. For swimming and sport, Australian Gold SPF 50 lotion with bronzing agents is water-resistant for 80 minutes.
Is a tingle suitable for sensitive skin?
Tingles are for skin that’s used to tanning sessions. For sensitive skin, start with a gentle accelerator such as Soleo’s Mango Tango, then try a tingle in a sachet once your tan is established.
In short
The strongest is the tingle; the most versatile, an accelerator with bronzers; the gentlest, a bronzer-free accelerator. The best tanning accelerator is the one that suits your skin. Need personal advice? Write to M@nu, or browse our tanning accelerators.
Always follow the session time recommended by your tanning salon to avoid burning.
Photo: Emanuel Antonov on Unsplash
