You’ve got your tanning minutes, booked your sunbed session, and you’ve picked up your eye protection: you’re good to go now, right?

Not so fast! There’s one thing missing, and it’s a tanning cream.

What do I need that for? Are you just trying to make more money off me?

Genuinely, no – recommending a tanning lotion is not a sales tactic or add-on for tanning. Tanning creams are specifically designed for your benefit. There are multiple reasons why you must use a tanning lotion on a sunbed, and it’s not to line our pockets!

Only specific tanning lotions have been tested and approved for use on sunbeds, as these creams work best with 0.3 compliant rays and protect both your skin and the sunbed’s acrylic material. Using lotions that are not designed for sunbed tanning will only create a barrier on your skin that will block your tan development, and cause damage to the sunbed acrylics.

What else do tanning creams do?

In a nutshell, tanning creams and lotions:

• Hydrate and nourish your skin, making your tan last longer
• Prevent skin protein damage and oxidisation (which often shows up as stubborn white patches)
• Improve your tanning results by up to 50%
• Allow you to tan 2-3 times darker than without lotion

Tanning creams offer a whole host of benefits that are geared towards improving skin condition. Tanning lotions are full of antioxidants, vitamins, natural oils, and moisturizers that are designed to improve your tanning experience. They increase collagen synthesis, skin firmness, and moisturization, leaving your skin plump, toned, tightened, and youthful-looking. They also combat inflammation and prevent protein and lipid oxidative damage, improving your overall skin appearance.

Studies have proven that using a lotion before tanning can improve your tanning results by up to 50%. It also allows you to tan 2-3 times darker and faster than not using any lotion. The moisturizing ingredients in the lotion allow UV to penetrate your skin and pores, giving you a longer-lasting, deeper tan. Accelerated melanin production, which is stimulated by UVB rays, promotes the tanning process and allows UVA light to hit your skin, giving you instant colour.

By keeping your skin hydrated with a premium tanning lotion, your tan can last longer than if you don’t use any cream at all. As you tan, the colour is always on the end of your skin cells. So, if your skin is dry, your tan will fade quicker.

What happens if I don’t use a tanning lotion?

For one, you will lose the valuable first three minutes of your tanning time. If you don’t moisturise correctly before tanning, your pores remain closed, causing the UV light to reflect off your skin rather than penetrate it and stimulate melanin production. Also, dry skin reflects light, so tanning effectively becomes a challenge. As a result, you will spend more time tanning, only to achieve a lesser result. This, in turn, can lead to oxidized lipids and skin proteins, the production of free radicals, inflammation, and a loss of elasticity in the skin.

Oh, okay. So can I use any tanning cream?

We strongly recommend that before you order any creams from Amazon or eBay you chat with our tanning consultants in-store or over the phone. Our consultants will be able to help you select a cream that is both safe to use on our sunbeds and that will get you the best results to meet your tanning goals. Start your tanning journey today and discover the benefits of using a tanning lotion for yourself.

Oh, and one more thing – our creams smell divine!