For many years, particularly over the summer and during party season, I received regular emails from beauty PRs asking if I’d like to try out their new spray tan. My immediate thought was: “You obviously haven’t Googled me.” The thing is Black people do like to tan – I used to sunbathe to get that sun-induced “glow” until the day the skin on my chest peeled off in my hands. But a spray tan made no sense to me. Why would I put myself through a process that my white counterparts complained left them streaky and smelling like biscuits? But things change. Today, there are numerous formulations for a “sunless tan”, which are sophisticated, inclusive and don’t have a cloying scent. They can be added to your daily moisturiser and include skincare ingredients (antioxidants, hyaluronic acids, collagen, etc) and they avoid the drying formulas that were once the signature of traditional self tanning products. They also come in various textures – oils, gels, creams, water – so there’s something to suit your preference and skin tone. So while I understand the allure of sunkissed skin, when you consider the risk of damage and, this year, the complexities of travelling, the sunless tan is a safer bet.
1. Tan-Luxe Super Gloss SPF 30 £35, spacenk.com
2. Soleil Toujours Daily Sunless Tanning Serum £53, net-a-porter.com
3. Sisley Self Tanning Hydrating Body Skin Care £91, libertylondon.com
4. Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze Self Tanning Drops from £8.47, beautypie.com
5. Coola Gradual Tan Express Sculpting Mousse £44, lookfantastic.com
6. Oskia Nutri BronzeAdaptive Sheer Tinted Serum £60, cultbeauty.co.uk
7. Amanda Harrington Face Illuminating Bronzing Mist £28, amandaharrington.com 8. Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Butter £16.95, boots.com
9. Sensai Bronzing Gel £31, sensai-cosmetics.com
10. Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster £27, selfridges.com
