Spray tans and acne go together like peanut butter and jelly. I hate to break it to you but it’s true. Spray tans are notorious for making you breakout. That’s a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow! So, is your only choice to completely swear off fake tan for the rest of your life?
If you’re a sensitive skin queen, you’re probably already used to searching beauty practices that protect your breakout-prone complexion. As we are well aware, cleansers, lotions, and even sunscreen need to be carefully chosen. But have you ever given a second thought to your sunless tanning products?
Fortunately, you have options.
We’re here to guide you through the ins and outs of sunless tanning, how it affects your skin, and how you can optimize your tanning routine & still keep your clear skin. Using the right products in the right way can help those who suffer from acne enjoy their fake tan confidently.
Acne-Safe Self-Tanners We Love
If you opt for a professional or in-booth spray tan, avoid spraying your face and utilize an acne-safe sunless tanning home application for your face or use bronzer as mentioned below.
We are big fans of COOLA Organic Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum. It smells like skincare – not self tanner – and doesn’t leave any residue behind. It is a buildable tan that gives you a natural glow, even for super fair-skinned ladies (or men) who find self-tanners show up too orange on their skin.
If you want a little more permanent color, opt for
THE FACE Illuminating Self-Tan Drops by TAN LUXE. This cruelty- and toxin-free concentrate transforms your favorite moisturizer into a bespoke self tanner. We recommend a few drops in your Moisture Clear for a beautiful glow.
We love Fake Bake Flawless Darker Self-Tanning Liquid Spray 6 oz. as an at-home self tanner that is acne safe and produces a beautiful tan.
Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster is another winner in this golden glow getter galaxy!
Choose Your Tanner Wisely
We recommend spraying from the face down and then using some of our recommended acne-safe products to give your face that Sun-kissed glow.
We love how confident we feel in our skin with a great self-tanner by our side, but what about our face? Body and face self-tanners are often not one in the same. You know how you use a separate sunscreen for your face than you do on your body? And separate cleansers and moisturizers? The same should go for self-tanners!
Self-tanner enthusiasts with sensitive skin are advised to look out for the following:
Pore Clogging Ingredients in Spray Tans
Tanning products like lotions and sprays clog your pores. Many of these products contain comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients like coconut oil, which are way too heavy for acne-prone skin. Unfortunately, we have found that clogged pores are a huge result from the use of self-tanners.
Another thing to keep in mind is: If you have back acne, (even just a little) you must absolutely avoid spraying the back too. Backacne will be a nightmare you don’t want to ever have if you start that.
Overly Drying from Spray Tans
Often, tanning products rely on dehydrating ingredients like denatured alcohol, which irritate and dry out your complexion. This kick-starts your oil-producing sebaceous glands, which overcompensate by pumping out extra oil like crazy. So once again, you end up with a greasy face full of clogged pores.
Not a good look!
Sun Damage
Wait, what? Aren’t you using sunless tanner to avoid sun damage?
Sunless tanning is definitely better than laying out covered in baby oil. But tanning products containing DHA increase free radical damage, weakening your skin’s defenses to environmental hazards like UV rays. Plus, users have reported higher rates of sunburn. So always remember your sunscreen, even over your fake tan!
The Hidden Sunless Tanner Acne Trigger
There’s one other acne-triggering risk with sunless tanner that I have to mention. It all comes down to your cleansing habits.
We know that you went to a lot of effort getting that fake tan to look just so. Naturally, you’ll be nervous about doing anything that might screw it up!
But please, please do not skip your cleansing routine.
This is a huge problem among sunless tan enthusiasts. Fear of washing away your tan tempts you to skip your other skincare for a few days, but this is a recipe for breakout disaster.
Just remember – While you’re anxiously protecting your tan, your skin is piling up with oil, dead skin cells, makeup, and other impurities. Without a good cleanse, these start blocking your pores all over your face, and it’s not long until these clogged pores turn into full-fledged blemishes.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, it all comes down to better skin health overall. Avoiding harmful ingredients and cherishing your complexion with a hydrating, skin-nourishing routine WILL help you achieve a clearer canvas for that golden summer glow you’re after!
Ideally, we would advise you never apply sunless tanner to your face. Because well, it’s basically like playing Russian Roulette with your beautiful skin. However with that being said, we know someone somewhere will do it anyway. So keep these tips in mind if that’s you, *wink, wink*.
There are great options available to develop a rich golden glow without having to damage your skin by the sun. You have spent a lot of time, energy, and money to get clear. Don’t ruin it with a spray tan that only lasts a short time.
Choose an acne-safe sunless tanning option for your skin. Choose clear and confident. Schedule your consultation today & let us help you get started on your clear skin journey!
Cheers to clear!
Rene