The best tanning products: questions and answers

This article is for those who consider a tan the most convincing proof of a successful vacation. We will teach you how to tan without harming your skin, explain what means to use for this and tell you about the best of them, according to the editors of Healthy-Food.

Why should you use sunscreen to get a beautiful tan?

The answer to this question lies on the surface: the skin, being in the sun without any protection, will certainly get burned. Even when the redness subsides and the desired dark pigment appears, the quality of the tan will be questionable. Getting rid of damaged cells, the skin will begin to peel off, and along with the scales, the swarthy shade will disappear.
The conclusion is obvious – to get a beautiful and lasting tan, you need to choose the right sunscreen.
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What are the means to protect against UV radiation and the appearance of persistent tanning?

Tanning products come in a variety of formats and textures, from creams to dry oils. Many of them have additional effects. For the beach, water resistance and hydration are priority.

Cream

The richest texture is addressed to normal or dry skin. For the body, a lighter and more versatile milk is preferable.

Spray

A convenient format that provides an even and non-tacky coverage, does not affect the ability to protect the skin. So spray or tube is a matter of taste.

Oil

The best product for fans of intense bronze tanning, the oil “attracts” the sun’s rays, protects the skin from overdrying and gives it a radiance that emphasizes the dark color. Natural oils have a low SPF of 6-8, while cosmetic tanning oil formulas include filters with an index of 20-30, which provides more reliable protection and prevention of burns.
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What are the criteria for choosing sun protection products?

The main reference point is your own skin, or rather, its phototype. There are six of them, and the inhabitants of our latitudes usually belong to the first four.

And a phototype. The skin does not perceive the sun at all, so you don’t even have to dream of a tan. Requires constant protection and shelter under an awning or in the dense shade of trees. A cream with SPF 50+ is the only remedy that can protect snow-white skin, deprived of melanin, from the harmful effects of the sun.

The skin of the first phototype does not tan, no matter how much time you spend in the sun.

II phototype. Easily burns and turns red, the tan appears for a long time and is never chocolate. The maximum that the skin is capable of is to become golden-honey. For the first 5-7 days, a sunscreen for fair skin should contain SPF 50, then protection can be reduced to “thirty”.

Using a cream with an SPF below 30 is permissible only if the vacation lasts at least a month and the skin has time to produce enough melanin for self-defense. Filters save from photodamage, provide firmness and uniformity of sunburn.

III phototype. Tan lays down well, but the skin can burn in the first days. At the beginning of the holiday, a product with SPF 30 is suitable, towards the end – up to 20. The protective agent practically does not affect the intensity of the tan color, but contributes to its durability.

Adequately evaluate the capabilities of your skin.

IV phototype. Representatives of this phototype tan perfectly, so they often use tanning oils with a low SPF, skipping the adaptation period, which is dangerous for the skin. Dermatologists advise using a product with a protection factor however 20 – the body will tan just as intensely, but there will be less harm and the swarthy color will remain for a long time.

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Are there products for quick and lasting tanning?

Recently, products have appeared on the market that protect against the sun and at the same time activate the tan. Explains the medical Vichy expert Ekaterina Turubara:

“These products do not stain or tint. These are not self-tanners, but catalysts that trigger melanogenesis naturally. Tyrosine in their composition promotes the synthesis of melanin (a dark pigment is obtained from this amino acid through complex chemical reactions). And caffeine enhances the activity of the process.

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How to sunbathe properly?

In the first days of vacation, choose the maximum degree of protection.

Moderation and constant protection is the only thing that can save the skin from sunburn and create the conditions for a stable and relatively safe tan. Here are some more good tips.

  1. Do not go out to the beach during the hours of the highest solar activity, that is, from 11.00 to 16.00.

  2. In the early days cut down stay in the sun for up to 60 minutes or go to the beach in the early morning before the sun is at its peak.

  3. Start leave with maximum protection, reducing it as the skin becomes accustomed to the sun and pigment is produced.

  4. The adaptation period for fair skin is longer than for dark skin. Don’t rush events if you don’t want to get burned.

  5. Update protection every two hours and after swimming, even if the formula is waterproof.

Do you know how to use sunscreen? Let’s check.

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What precautions should be taken?

Do not believe the insidious southern sun and do not overestimate the endurance of your skin. As a rule, only 10 minutes is enough to get a burn. As a result, you still have to hide in the shade and use a cream with a powerful SPF. Please note that even the highest index does not guarantee 100% protection.
When buying a sunscreen, ceteris paribus, choose one that has higher SPF. In this case, it’s better to play it safe.
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12 best tanning products

Our collection includes sunscreens of a wide variety of formats, textures and SPF values: milk, sprays, creams, oils – the best tanning products, according to the editors of Healthy-Food.

Sunscreens and suntan lotion

Revitalift Filler [ha] anti-wrinkle day cream, SPF 50, L’Oréal Paris

High SPF formula combats photoaging and prevents pigmentation. Thanks to macrohyaluronic acid, it replenishes the loss of skin volume.

Sun Melting Emulsion Idéal Soleil SPF 50 with wet skin technology, Vichy

This waterproof product can also be applied to wet body skin immediately after bathing: the formula with wet skin technology does not leave white streaks. Nice refreshing effect included.

Sun milk for face and body Anthelios XL, SPF 30, La Roche-Posay

An excellent solution for the first days of being at sea, as well as for those who quickly burn in the sun: it reliably protects, has a non-greasy texture.

Sun Milk Sublime Sun “Extra Protection” SPF 50, L’Oréal Paris

Allows you to get an even and beautiful tan, and protection from insidious UVA rays is an excellent helper in the fight against premature wrinkles, dryness, hyperpigmentation.

For a beautiful tan

Capital Idéal Soleil Two-Phase Sun Spray, SPF 50, Vichy

The tool provides reliable protection from the sun, at the same time helps to obtain a more uniform tone due to the content of beta-carotene in the formula.

Sun spray tan developer “Perfect tan”, SPF 20, Ambre Solaire, Garnier

The formula is enriched with a complex of tanning melanin activators, while sunscreens reliably protect the skin from burns, and tocopherol (vitamin E) is designed to provide additional antioxidant protection.

Sprays

Sunscreen spray “Solar water” for face and body SPF 30, Garnier

A bi-phase treatment with a light texture that additionally moisturizes and refreshes the skin. Can be used on both face and body. The composition is enriched with aloe vera.

Capital Idéal Soleil Two-Phase Moisturizing Sun Spray, SPF 50, Vichy

Lightweight and highly protective for sensitive skin.

Waterlover Sun Mist, SPF 30, for face and body Biotherm

The formula with the extract of thermal plankton Life Plankton is easily absorbed, does not leave white “streaks”, providing reliable protection, hydration and an even tan. Note: The bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic and is recyclable.

Spray veil

Refreshing sun spray-veil “Solar water” SPF 30, Garnier

Spray from any position provides full body protection in seconds. Features a light, comfortable texture and contains moisturizing aloe vera juice. It has the ability to immediately cool the skin 2 °C.

Anthelios Sunscreen Mattifying Facial Spray Veil, SPF 50/PPD 27, La Roche-Posay

The tool, designed for oily and combination skin, in the heat will save not only from ultraviolet radiation, but also from oily sheen.


Tanning oil

Oil for intense tanning with coconut flavor Ambre Solaire, Garnier

A classic oil for tanners, the degree of protection does not exceed SPF 2. Recommended only for very dark and already tanned skin.

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