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Does All Fake Tan Smell? Understanding the Cause and How to minimise it.

Jul 31, 2024

Does All Fake Tan Smell? Understanding the Cause and How to minimise it.

If you're a regular user of self-tanning products, you've likely noticed a distinctive smell that often accompanies them. Many people wonder, "Does all fake tan smell?" The short answer is, not all self-tanners have a bad and lingering unpleasant scent, and those that do can be masked very effectively. At utan, we’ve tackled this issue head-on with our Cherry Almond Scented Turbo Mousse and Almond Mylk products, ensuring a pleasant tanning experience from start to finish.

What Causes the Smell in Fake Tan?

The characteristic smell of self-tanners is primarily due to an ingredient called dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA is a colourless sugar that interacts with the amino acids in the top layer of your skin, causing it to darken and create a tanned appearance. This chemical reaction, known as the Maillard reaction, produces compounds that can emit a distinctive smell, often described as slightly malty or biscuity. It can be affected by hormones, pH levels and time of the month, which is why you may have used a self-tanner and wondered why it hasn’t developed as well or it has depending on the day of use. This also applies to the smell as DHA is an ‘active’ ingredient.

Factors That Affect the Intensity of the Smell:

DHA Concentration: Higher levels of DHA can produce a stronger smell. Synthetic DHA can smell bad not only on development but after being rinsed off, which is why we only use 100% natural non-synthetic EcoCert DHA.

Fragrance: A lot of fragrances self-tanners use can ‘fight against’ the base and developing scent which is an inevitable factor of all DHA products. We look to use complimentary scents, especially where DHA is included at a higher level. For example our utan Turbo Mousse Cherry Almond has an incredible reputation of being the ‘best smelling fake tan’. It’s cleverly designed to have an almond base scent to cover up the developing scent, which soon disappears once developed and rinsed off. Once rinsed it’s very unlikely you will have bad smelling skin with this special tan.

Skin Type: Everyone's skin reacts differently to DHA, which can influence the intensity of the scent.

Application Method: How and when you apply the product can also impact the smell. Applying tanner at night and letting it develop overnight can help minimize the scent during the day.

How utan Masks the Self-Tan Smell

At utan, we believe that a great self-tanning product should not only give you a beautiful glow but also be a pleasure to use. That's why we've incorporated sophisticated scent technology into our products to mask the traditional self-tan smell effectively.

utan’s Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse

Our Cherry Almond Scented Turbo Mousse is a game-changer in the world of self-tanning. Here’s how it works:

Multi-Layered Scent: The Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse is infused with a delightful cherry almond fragrance that masks the DHA smell from the moment of application until it’s fully developed. The multi-layered scent ensures a pleasant aroma that lasts.
EcoCert Certified DHA: We use high-quality, 100% natural DHA that reduces the intensity of the typical self-tan smell while ensuring a long-lasting, beautiful tan.

utan’s Tanning Water’s

Our Tanning Waters are all enhanced with mood uplifting scents, a fantastic option for those seeking a pleasant tanning experience:

Relaxing Lavender: Our utan x Jamie Genevieve Tanning Water is scented with natural Scottish lavender oil for a calming, spa-like experience.. Anti-bacterial properties help in reducing any bacterial interaction with DHA, which can sometimes exacerbate the tanning smell.

Soothing Almond Fragrance: The soft, nutty scent of almond mylk not only masks the busicuty self-tan smell, but is a unique fragrance with the added benefit of sweet almond oil being a perfect skin softening ingredient.

Tropical Coconut: That holiday feeling in a bottle, everytime you spray our Coconut Tanning Water! This was the first ever facial tanning water mist. It attracted many awards and copycat products- but we believe original is best. This one took us years to develop and set an industry wide trend.

Benefits of Using utan’s Scented Tanning Products

1. Enjoyable Easy Application

The mood enhancing and uplifting fragrances of our Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse, utan x Jamie Tanning Water and Almond Mylk make the application process enjoyable. No more holding your nose or waiting for fake-tan pong smell to fade.

2. Confidence All Day

With our advanced scent technology, you can feel confident knowing that your tan smells as good as it looks. The pleasant aromas don’t linger and rinse off and fade so that your fragrances or body and face creams are not tinged by unwanted scent.

3. Skin-Friendly Formulas

Our tanning products are dermatologist tested and approved, ensuring they are kind to your skin. They are also vegan, PETA approved, and contain soothing ingredients beneficial for sensitive skin.

4. Transfer-Proof and Transparent

Our transparent mists and transfer-proof formulas mean you can tan without worrying about staining your clothes or bed sheets. The pleasant scents mean you can use them any time of day without concern.

Conclusion

Not all fake tans have to come with an unpleasant smell. At utan, we’ve harnessed the power of sophisticated and clever scent technology to create tanning products that leave you smelling as good as you look. Our Cherry Almond Scented Turbo Mousse and Tanning Waters are perfect examples of how you can achieve a beautiful, streak-free tan without the tell-tale self-tan smell. Enjoy the best of both worlds with a gorgeous glow and a delightful fragrance.

Shop the utan biscuit-free bliss set to get a delicious smelling full body tan!

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