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You want a deep, natural bronze.
You’d like to achieve a rich, golden color as quickly as possible.
What you need is a way to accelerate tanning and protect your skin.
That’s why you’re shopping for the best tanning lotion brands.
Today, I’ll review the biggest names in indoor tanning lotions.
Plus, I’ll include examples of their best products.
Contents
Although I’ll divide the reviews into names you’ll recognize, here’s an interesting fact.
Three American businesses are currently responsible for most of the best tanning lotions available.
At the time of writing, New Sunshine, LLC, owns Australian Gold, Designer Skin, Jwoww, and Swedish Beauty.
Sun Evolutions owns Hempz, Pro Tan, and Supre Tan.
And Devoted Creations owns Ed Hardy (Tanovations), Millennium, and more (1).
Their competition benefits us as they are constantly striving to make the best tanning bed lotions.
Now let’s discover the best brands in alphabetical order.
Australian Gold was founded in 1985 by Trevor Gray from Indiana. He’s the son of an Australian woman who imbued a passion for all things Aussie in him.
Although the headquarters are in Indianapolis, the heart and soul of this business are inspired by Down Under. Their products are available for sale in more than 50 countries.
Cocoa Beach, Florida, has also influenced Australian Gold products. Their signature scent is called Cocoa Dreams. It’s designed to remind you of vacationing at the beach.
Australian Gold’s Tanning lotions include natural extracts like hemp seed and walnut plus plenty of antioxidants to protect the skin.
One of the best-known indoor tanning lotions is this accelerator from Australian Gold.
It has the classic Cocoa Dreams fragrance, and it’s packed with antioxidants like Vitamins A and E.
Why are antioxidants important?
When you’re tanning, UV radiation can make your skin age prematurely.
Oxygen molecules called free radicals to damage the tissue and break down collagen. Antioxidants neutralize the problem.
The best tanning lotions all contain antioxidants to keep your skin healthy.
Fair-skinned people often comment that the Dark Tanning Accelerator lotion helps them get a natural tan quickly. They notice a difference after only one session.
The difference between this lotion and the one above is that this one has a bronzer.
What is bronzer?
It’s a kind of self-tanner that darkens your skin without the need for suntanning.
There are two types: instant and gradual.
Instant bronzers immediately color your skin. Examples include henna and caramel.
While they disguise how pale your skin is, they will wash off in the water.
On the other hand, they can help you see where you’ve already applied the lotion.
Gradual bronzers like DHA and erythrulose take time to darken your skin tone. The color develops over the next few hours after you apply the lotion.
Moreover, the natural golden color they create won’t come off in the shower.
If you’re embarrassed about how white you look, get a tanning lotion with bronzer. It will make you look like you have a base tan before you hit the beach.
If you use a lotion with DHA, it can help you maintain the tan that you already have, too.
Besides the bronzer, there are other benefits to this product.
Like the one above, it has Vitamins A and E to protect against sun damage.
It also has natural oils to condition your body and keeps it hydrated.
The Jwoww One and Done Intensifier is a tanning accelerator with tyrosine.
Tyrosine stimulates melanin production so that you get tan faster. (Melanin is the pigment that makes your skin darker.)
But unlike greasy sunscreens and tanning oils, this lotion feels lightweight. It softens the skin with shea butter, which is an excellent moisturizer.
It also has raspberry and other antioxidants.
The Jwoww Black Bronzer is ideal if you already have a tan and want to go darker. It’s also good for people with naturally olive or dark skin.
It makes your skin silky soft and smooth with Kukui nut, hemp seed, and black currant oils.
Meanwhile, it will give you some instant color before you tan. The color will deepen over the next few hours after you apply it, too. (Just don’t shower for at least four hours afterward so that it has time to work.)
One of the bronzing agents is erythrulose, which is similar to DHA. Happily, it won’t trigger a skin reaction like DHA does for a few people. Under the tanning bed light, the tyrosine and melanin go to work, producing pigment, too.
Designer Skin’s stated goal is to provide your body with the right nutrients to make it gorgeous.
Their products don’t just help you tan. They also reduce acne and firm up the texture.
Their leg tanning lotion inhibits hair growth, so you don’t need to shave as often.
It’s no surprise that celebrities publicize their use of Designer Skin lotions.
The BombShell lotion is a tingler. It’s for experienced tanners only as it feels very hot.
Make sure you don’t apply this one on your face or any other sensitive spots.
It speeds up circulation to the surface of your skin to accelerate tanning.
At the same time, it reduces cellulite and tightens skin with Coenzyme Q-10 and white tea extract.
Here’s a bronzing lotion that won’t streak. It keeps your skin from getting oily while it speeds up melanin production. The silicone emulsion seals in moisture and makes you feel silky soft.
Although it has nut extracts, it doesn’t contain erythrulose, DHA, hemp, aloe, or gluten.
The fragrance is sweet vanilla musk.
When you see a bronzer, you’ll see a number followed by an X. This can help you decide if it’s appropriate for your skin tone and how dark you want to go.
The Sahara Jewel lotion is a 30X bronzer. It’s good for fair skin and deepening a base tan.
It contains caramel, tyrosine, and minerals to protect your skin.
It also eliminates the burned smell that sometimes happens after tanning.
Devoted Creations has been in business since 2003.
They are members of the Indoor Tanning Industry, the European Sunlight Association, and the Smart Tan Network.
They regularly donate to charitable foundations like Habitat for Humanity, Paws for Patriots, PETA, and Cardiac Kids of Florida.
Their tanning lotions fight signs of aging with a proprietary ingredient called Strivitan. It stimulates the production of elastin and collagen to resist wrinkling.
All of their products are developed, manufactured, and bottled in-house.
You might’ve heard of their exclusive salon chain Millennium Tanning in Cleveland, Ohio.
Do you know why there are different lotions for indoor and outdoor tanning?
It’s because of the acrylic in the sunbeds.
Mineral oil and similar ingredients can damage the acrylic. Indoor tanning lotions are often silicone-based to avoid this problem. As a result, they don’t feel greasy, either.
Somewhere on a Beach lotion has all the benefits of an indoor lotion, and it can be used outdoors as well.
It features Advanced Matrixyl Synthe 6. This is an anti-aging peptide that’s proven to diminish fine lines and wrinkles.
And although it has bronzers, there is no DHA.
The #TANLIFE lotion is made for sensitive skin. It’s hypoallergenic and rich in shea, so it melts into the skin.
Not only will it protect tattoos from fading, but it also makes wrinkles less noticeable.
It firms the skin to hide cellulite with RevitaFit and Advanced Matrixyl Synthe 6.
Devoted Creations describes this lotion as a CC cream for your body. It corrects blemishes and improves your appearance.
While it encourages melanin production to deepen your tan, it firms and tightens your skin. It also has skin pigment correctors to even out tone.
Some of the featured ingredients include Ideal Lift, BodyFit, and RevitaFit.
Ed Hardy is a famous tattoo artist whose designs have inspired everything from clothing to tanning lotions.
The first lotion in this product line appeared in 2008 (2). It was a “Celebrity Tan in a Can.”
Now they make tan accelerators, sunless tanners, and tan extenders.
One of the most popular indoor tanning lotions has to be Coconut Kisses by Ed Hardy.
It doesn’t have instant bronzers in it. The color you achieve while wearing it is all your own.
But it does have tanning accelerators like the MelanoBronze, Nouritan, and the Quad Tyrosine Blend.
There’s also BodyFit to reduce cellulite.
The delicious fragrance smells like coconuts, and the creamy texture sinks in fast to hydrate the skin.
If you’ve been tanning for a while, you can go darker by using a tingle lotion.
The Body Shots is an extreme tingler that’s packed with DHA and cosmetic bronzers. It also has a melanin synthesizer.
Please don’t pick up your children or your pets while you’re wearing this lotion! And be prepared to look like you spent way too much time in the sun.
The citrus fragrance is pleasant for women and men alike.
Hempz makes use of hemp seed oil, an outstanding natural moisturizer that’s kind to sensitive skin.
Their products are free of THC and grown from sustainable crops.
The Dark Tan Maximizer is hypoallergenic to avoid triggering skin reactions. It’s not greasy, and it feels very soothing and lightweight.
Some of the key ingredients include hemp seed oil and mango seed butter. There’s also comforting oatmeal.
If you have sensitive skin but want to try a product with DHA, try this one.
It has naturally calming ingredients like chamomile and oatmeal.
Mango seed butter and hemp seed oil will condition your skin to prevent it from drying out while you tan.
Millennium Tanning makes a lot of bronzing lotions. The bronzers include ones that react with UV exposure and others that deepen your color for hours after you tan.
Paint It Black comes in 2 versions: 50x and 100x. If you have fair skin, go for the former. Otherwise, if you have a tan already or naturally dark skin, get the latter.
This is a silicone emulsion that keeps your skin hydrated without feeling oily. In fact, your skin will feel like silk after you apply it.
It has a fresh cotton fragrance that both women and men enjoy.
Go darker with this powerful tingle lotion. It will break the tan barrier after only one session.
While it increases circulation in your skin, it eliminates the after-tanning odor. It has a delicious blackberry citrus scent.
Pro Tan has been around for more than three decades. They are now a part of Performance Brands under Sun Evolutions. They make a range of lotions for new and experienced tanners.
They specifically cater to professionals who want to look their best for events. For example, if you’re a bodybuilder, bikini model, or athlete, Pro Tan will help you look fabulous for your moment in the spotlight.
This lotion is designed for intermediate to advanced tanners. It contains DHA and cosmetic bronzers.
You’re likely to see it sold in tanning salons.
It also features Vitamins A and E, plus coconut oil and shea butter.
If you’re a beginner, but you want to turn up the heat, get this tingler from Pro Tan.
It will set your skin on fire while it kick-starts melanin production.
At the same time, it nourishes your body with mango butter, aloe, and vitamins.
Supre has been in the tanning industry for more than 25 years. Until recently, it wasn’t easy to buy their products outside of spas and salons.
The Smoke Black Bronzer has the Oxygen Regenerating System. It renews and rejuvenates the skin to shrink fine lines and wrinkles.
It also has a clinically proven tanning accelerator called Unipertan.
If you want to be sure that you will be bronzed by the next day, this is a lotion you can depend on.
When you use lotion from the best tanning lotion brands, you can relax and enjoy the experience.
Not only will they take care of your skin, but they are guaranteed to enhance your color.
If you discovered a new brand to try or missed your favorite, please tell me about it in the comments below.
Sources:
1. https://www.heartlandtanexpo.com/copy-of-expo-exhibitors accessed October 23, 2019
2. https://smarttan.com/news/index.php/paparazzi-prepare-celebrity-tan-in-a-can-by-ed-hardy-tanning/ accessed October 23, 2019
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