History of Fake Tan

In the 1920s tanned skin was considered a sign of poverty. Powdery pale skin that rarely saw the sun was a sign of glamour and luxury. Coco Chanel changed this after coming back from a yacht trip in the Cannes in 1923 with a bronze glow complexion.



http://www.theclosetfeminist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Coco-Chanel-4.jpg CoCo Chanel

This began a phase which made people flock to tropical countries to get that sun-kissed look.

Tea bags were used during WWII to create that natural bronzed look. Less than 10 years later the first fake tanning product was being sold. It was called the 'Man Tan'. Instead of staining the skin the Man Tan used a chemical made of sugar cane, dihydroxyacetone (DHA) this caused a bronzing effect with the amino acids on the surface of the skin. The FDA approved of this ingredient in the 1970's and it is still used in many fake tanning products today.

 There was a rise in skin cancer which was noticed by dermatologists as a result of exposure to UV rays from lying in the sun. Because of this self-tanners became a substitute for laying in the sun. In the 1990's there was a huge variety of fake tanning products available, giving people the look of a carrot. This is where the term 'tangoed' first arose. Tanning beds also became a substitute for laying in the sun until it was discovered that tanning beds were just as harmful as laying in the sun.

People were put off using self-tanners for two reasons. The strong smell from the tan which was because of the dihydroxyacetone (DHA) used in the tans and the often 'oompa lumpa' like orange colour which came from using these self-tanners.

 In previous years fake tanning products have got rid of the strong smell and the orange colour and have created products that provide a more natural glow. They did this by using a formula with either 100%  natural form of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) taken from renewable plant sources or they mixed dihydroxyacetone with keto sugar molecules which provided a more natural glow and a longer lasting tan.   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-applebaum/history-of-fake-tanning-s_b_3818206.html