Is Your Spray Tan More Dangerous Than Trump?

Masks, balms, colour-changing coconut water – there’s a menagerie of fakery at our fingertips, but is it really good to glow 24/7?

- Becci Vallis

We’ll happily admit to indulging in a bottle-born tint, but with a fresh batch of bronzing products arriving at our desks every day, the question has to be asked – have we reached fake tan overload? Currently in the Cosmopolitan beauty team ‘test’ pile is: St Tropez’s Self Tan Express Bronzing Face Sheet Mask, James Read’s Coconut Melting Tanning Balm and L’Oréal’s Sublime Bronze Overnight Elixir. Confusing, right?

It’s obvious that traditional lotions are being benched in favour of intriguing new textures. But while we love a good gimmick, are these seemingly farcical formulas really better for our bodies? Sure, it beats sitting in the sun, but there have been claims that this incessant topping up could leave skin dehydrated and shrivelled – think gran’s crusty caramel leather sofa circa 1973 and read on…

SAFE OR SOUND

Despite the rumours, let’s be clear: fake tanning isn’t dangerous per se. For a start, it’s only the top layers of your skin that are affected by the colour-changing ingredient, DHA (dihydroxyacetone). A natural derivative found in sugar cane, when applied topically, it attaches to specific amino acids in our cells and turns them a yellowy golden hue. That’s also where the chemical reaction stops – unlike when we’re under the influence of real sunlight, there’s no risk of melanin levels getting messed up.

“DHA doesn’t affect your skin’s actual pigment, as the tanning process takes place within the dead skin cells of the epidermis. Melanin is also not affected, for the same reason, as the melanocytes [responsible for melanin] are located deeper within the skin, far further than DHA can reach,” explains Blair James, co-founder of bestselling Aussie tan brand Bondi Sands.