Fake tan geekery...
...my idiot's guide to faking it without looking like it's fake, plus a quick trip into the future of beauty with a look at everything noteworthy from beauty's biggest trade show...
Having wittered on about dropcaps last week, I realised that if you read this on the app, the dropcap doesn’t appear and so that would have made zero sense…
So apologies if last week’s first paragraph seemed insane. Next week I promise the first paragraph will not reference dropcaps. Anyway, moving on… this week I’ve got my idiot’s guide to getting a perfect fake tan, and I picked the brains of a friend who was at the biggest international beauty trade show last month to give you an insight into what we might be seeing in the world of cosmetics in the future…
The ultimate fake tan guide
For the first time in ages I fake tanned and every time I do it, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. Everyone bangs on about how much better they look and feel with a tan and I am WITH you. I am anti the real UV-induced tan for multiple reasons (in brief: skin damage, premature ageing and skin cancer) but the mood-boosting value of faking it should not be under-estimated.
Indulge me in a bit of geekery before we get onto practicalities. In 2007, the BBC broadcast a Horizon documentary that has gone down in British beauty history. It was a programme about the science of skin and, among other things, looked at a University of Manchester study that appeared to show that a High Street product could actually reverse the signs of ageing. That High Street product was No7 Protect & Perfect and it led to a gold rush for the brand who sold a year’s supply in just two weeks. No7 have been trying to replicate that sort of magic ever since — and to be fair to them probably did it with Future Renew a few years ago. I loved the fact that that programme seemed to show that science could actually sell a beauty product, and that it prompted brands to invest in science — and talk about it. (On the flipside, it also led to a load of pseudoscience and marketing BS, but that’s another story.) Fun fact: at the time it was thought that the ingredient doing the heavy lifting in Protect & Perfect was retinyl palmitate, but nearly 20 years on, it seems likely that it was actually the peptide combination (Matrixyl) that was having the most significant effect.
Anyway, because everyone wangs on about the No7 thing from that documentary, they’ve forgotten some of the other stories that were covered in it. And one of my favourites was some research conducted by Paul Matts who, at the time was with P&G, home of Olay (also big on peptides, as it happens). You can read the paper that was subsequently published here but basically what they’d done was take clinical images of people’s faces, remove the wrinkles so you only saw the changes in colour, standardised the face size and shape and then asked people to make judgement calls about how old and how healthy the person was. It turns out that, as humans, we see even skintone as a signifier of health and youth. Basically being the same colour all over is more appealing to the human eye. I LOVED this research because it made me realise why I LOVE a (fake) tan. Having a (fake) tan evens my skintone — face and body — in a way that nothing else can.
For years I was a weekly faker. Back in the noughties, Judy Naake had revolutionised the world of fake tan with St Tropez. She knew that the best advocates for the tan were the women who had it and so every week Debs, from Calthrop PR, their PR agency, would ring round all her contacts and book you in. And every Thursday and Friday, the whole of mag-land and much of newspaper-land, would trot off to Judy’s mews house off Marylebone High Street where Sophie Evans or James Read would stick you in a booth wearing nothing but a pair of black paper pants and some sticky pads on your feet, and spray-paint you as if you were a car about to roll off the production line. Then, at beauty desks across the capital, women who looked like they were dressed for a funeral (on Fridays we wore black and loose, all the better to avoid stains and strap marks) grew browner and browner as the day wore on, and a stale biscuit-scented miasma hung over the computers.
These days I tend to DIY, and irregularly. But every time I do do it, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. The thought of it is more stressful than the actual doing and the difference it makes to how I feel about myself is off the scale. You’re going to want to know what I use, aren’t you? Well it’s all about personal preference and personally I want to go dark (if I’m going to do it, I might as well LOOK like I’ve done it) and I prefer a mousse with a guide colour. I find they spread more easily and I can be more convinced I’ve not missed a bit.
My current mousses of choice are the OG St Tropez Bronzing Mousse in Extra Dark (£34) and Vita Liberata’s The Mousse - Dark Result (£27). That said, I really think that fake tans have got so much better since the time as a teen I left orange hand prints on my upper arms, so largely I don’t think you can go wrong. I’ve used the super cheap St Moriz in the past and got a result I was very happy with. (Although with the cheaper ones, you might find they don’t have as many hydrating and moisturising ingredients in them so you might have to make more effort with slapping on a body moisturiser in the days after you’ve tanned.)
I also think that there is a far better range of tones so if, unlike me, you don’t want to look “coffee with just a splash of milk” tan and prefer something more “tea which is mostly milky” tan, there is something out there for you. (I’m reliably informed by paler-skinned friends who prefer a more subtle effect that Bare By Vogue is the way to go.)
I use a combo of gloves (surgical ones, ones left over from the last time you dyed your hair, any will do) and mitts (any mitts will do. I was once in the US and couldn’t find any in Target so I bought car polishing mitts instead and they were great) because however waterproof mitts say they are, they just aren’t and tan staining your hands is not what you want. I also wear a mitt on each hand as I think it’s easier and I use a third mitt, shoved on a long-handled body brush and secured in place with a hairband to do the bits on my back I can’t reach easily.
In an ideal world you’ll have exfoliated the day before. Usually I haven’t. I often haven’t shaved my legs either and if you’re planning on shaving them I strongly recommend you do it after you’ve tanned rather than before as, past experience suggests, you can end up with dots of tan in the pores. Yes shaving after can take off a bit of the tan, but I still think it’s the better option.
Over the years, I have developed what I consider to be a foolproof fake tanning method. Bits of it might sound faffy and a bit weird, but I SWEAR if you do it this way, it will be immaculate.
Ideally do it fully naked in front of a full-length mirror in strong light. I know, I know, but being able to see everything, and the bits you’ve done or not done makes for a better all-over tan (hence why I love a product with guide colour).
Apply a non-scented moisturiser to toes, heels, a line around the edge of your foot, knees, elbows and any other dry skin. I use the CeraVe Moisturising Cream but honestly anything without colour or scent (both of which could make the colour of the tan change) is fine.
Put on your gloves and mitts, and apply product to the mitt, then start at the shins and do shin to below the knee on both legs, adding more product if necessary. I use a circular motion pretty much all over my body, as if I’m buffing it in. Once you’ve done shin to below the knee, back and front, left and right, use what’s left on the the mitts to wipe over your feet and ankles.
Apply more product then do the leg from above the knee upwards on both sides, adding more product as necessary. Once you’ve done the top bit of your leg, back and front, left and right, use what’s left on the mitts to do your knees back and front.
Then do your bum, your belly, your lower back, then up as high as you can go on the back, your chest, your neck, adding more mousse as you need. Then do your face and ears with whatever’s leftover on the mitt. (Bear in mind, I’m dark so have no issue with tan getting into my eyebrows or hairline, but if you’re blonde, you might want to be a bit careful in these areas, and maybe use a dry flannel to wipe tan off these areas after you’ve done your face.)
By this point you should have done everything but your shoulders, arms and the bits of your back that you can’t reach. This is when I’d apply more product and do my shoulders. As I haven’t done my arms yet, I will push on the opposite elbow to get further round onto the shoulder blade on each side.
Now’s the point that you need your mitt on a stick. (You can buy a dedicated back applicator, but this has always worked fine for me. I’ve even used a mitt over the top of a kitchen fish slice in the past.) Apply your mousse then take the stick first in one hand and then in the other, working first from the top and then from the bottom. Apply more mousse if you need to, but at the end of this, you should have done the whole of your back.
Apply more product and do your forearms, all the way round and your upper arms in the same way, then use what’s leftover on the mitt to do your elbow. Finally I like to hold my hand above my head and do a complete sweep in little circles, down the inner arm from wrist to inner elbow to under arm to side boob, and then repeat on the other side.
Take off your mitts and gloves and put a line of moisturiser across all three sets of knuckles, then wipe whatever’s left on the mitts over the backs of your hands, and around any areas of your wrists that were covered by the mitts. Rub the backs of your hands together and interlace the fingers backwards.
Dab some moisturiser on the inside of your wrists and rub them together as if you were applying perfume. Then moisturise your palms and hands and interlink them as if you were praying. Let your tan dry a bit until it’s no longer tacky and put on something loose and dark. If you can avoid wearing underwear, so much the better.
I like to sleep in it but it does make your sheets a bit “Shroud of Turin” so if you have multi-million thread count Egyptian cotton you don’t want to stain (even though I do think it comes out), shower before bed and moisturise REALLY well. That’s it! I promise it really does take less time to do than to read about doing it. If you do try my foolproof plan, let me know in the comments how you get on.
The future of beauty
Much as I would love to spend my time flying round the world attending geeky beauty conferences and trade shows, the reality is that the combo of childcare required and ROI isn’t really worth it. Fortunately I do have a number of like-minded friends and contacts who, between them, cover a lot of them. And, I figured if I’m interested in what they’re reporting back, you might be too. So, when I mentioned spicules on Instagram a few weeks back and Elissa Corrigan messaged me saying “Everyone was talking about spicules at Cosmoprof”, I obviously asked her what else they were talking about and whether she’d be keen to contribute some thoughts to BeautyGeekery.
For those that don’t know, Cosmoprof is basically the biggest beauty industry trade show. It takes place annually over about three days in Bologna, and is where people meet to do deals, identify trends, be inspired, and find out what’s next. So you can see why I’d be keen to know more.
I first met Elissa through Instagram. She founded her own supplement company, Elle Sera, and, when she wanted to launch a new, and very geeky, collagen supplement last year, she asked me if I’d do some consulting around the launch. When I met her, not really knowing what to expect, I really liked her no-BS approach to everything. She’s a former journalist so understands the game, and she’s also a super-savvy businesswoman who knows her customers inside out and has a real sense of loyalty to them. Have a look at her Instagram, or if podcasts are more your thing, take a listen to hers, which covers “midlife vitality, female health, fitness, mindset and creating a life (and business) that actually feels good.”
Anyway, I grilled her about what she thought were the most exciting aspects of Cosmoprof this year…
K-Beauty marches on
Elissa says that Korean beauty was the single most dominant force at the entire show and, in her words, “I have complicated feelings about this. We have completely different skin in the UK. Korean skin is typically more sebaceous oilier, with different pore structure, different moisture retention patterns, different baseline hydration levels. The K-beauty routine was designed around that skin type. Seventeen steps, hydration layers, essence on essence on essence: brilliant for Korean skin, and potentially a one-way ticket to a compromised barrier for a lot of British women whose skin is drier, thinner, and generally not built for that volume of product.”
Now, I don’t know if I agree with her assessment. As much because, from what I understand, K-beauty is generally about protecting the skin barrier, and it’s us over here that slather on actives that ruin it. But I do agree that — broadly — we might be looking for very different things from our skincare. I also agree that “Korean formulation technology is genuinely extraordinary. Their capsule tech, their texture innovation, their willingness to experiment, it’s all exceptional.”
On which note, expect to see…
Temperature-changing experiential skincare
“The cooling category is exploding, masks, moisturisers and essences engineered to physically lower skin temperature on contact, using menthol-free cooling technologies, encapsulated water, and temperature-adaptive textures that respond to body heat. The heating version works the opposite way: solid products or masks that melt and activate on contact with skin warmth, releasing actives as they do so. The logic behind both is more than purely sensorial. Cooling reduces inflammation, calms redness, and addresses what the industry is now calling ‘heat-ageing’ the idea that chronic heat exposure and facial flushing accelerates skin ageing in a way we haven’t historically paid enough attention to.”
I was particularly interested by Elissa’s postscript on this one: “dermatologists point out the cooling sensation is largely experiential rather than therapeutically transformative on its own, but when you pair that mechanism with genuinely active ingredients in a format that feels like an immediate reward, you’ve got a product people will actually use consistently. And consistent use is, as always, where the results actually come from.”
Pestlo
Elissa said this Korean brand, which describes itself as “a skin pharmacist who heals your skin”, was her “favourite stand of the whole show” and she was particularly taken by their Saferecipe sunscreen line. I’ve got to be honest, the fact that this range is described as being EWG-compliant (see previous rants about Yuka) would turn me off, but I do get the appeal of The Grinding Sun Pact SPF 50+ PA+++ , which has the same sort of massive pencil sharpener delivery system I’ve seen before. “You apply it over makeup with the puff,” says Elissa. “It transforms from a smooth balm into a soft, powdery, matte finish on skin which doesn’t disturb makeup underneath.” Like her, I’m a fan of anything that’s going to encourage people to reapply sun protection over makeup. I will be getting my hands on this and putting it to the test.
Wearable collagen
When Elissa mentioned this, it made me think of when M&S did tights with micro-encapsulated moisturiser so that your skin was moisturised as you moved… I’m not sure they still do them which might tell you all you need to know but Korea-based brand Filagen Global have taken things a step further with a fibre made from “marine collagen peptides extracted from milkfish scales (a food industry waste product — credit where it’s due) fused with cellulose from wood pulp, using nanotechnology. The resulting fibre is reportedly biodegradable, sustainable, and — they claim — genuinely functional for skin.”
The suggestion is that you could have sports kit made from this stuff and, because the peptides aren’t coated onto the fabric, the idea is that they can’t be washed out. Other benefits the company is claiming include moisturising, UPF 50+ UV protection, deodorising, antibacterial and anti-static. Crucially their testing claims skin moisture content SPF 50+, PA+++ in Filagen wearers than in cotton wearers.
Now, as I mentioned, Elissa launched a collagen supplement so, as you might expect, this is kind of her bag…
“The moisturising mechanism is actually the most defensible claim,” she says. “Collagen peptides are hygroscopic — they attract and hold water molecules — so wearing them next to skin in a warm, slightly sweaty environment could genuinely create a more hydrated microclimate at the skin surface. Fine.
The idea that your gym kit is doing your skincare while you do your downward dog, however, requires a reality check. The 500 Dalton rule is the established threshold for transdermal penetration — molecules above that size don’t cross intact skin. Collagen molecules are nowhere near small enough. Even hydrolysed collagen, which has been broken down into smaller peptides, still sits at around 3,000 Daltons. That is six times too large to penetrate skin.”
But wearable skincare is definitely becoming a thing, if it’s not already. Elissa told me about a brand called Coperni who this year launched probiotic and prebiotic-infused athleisure in collaboration with Swiss biotech company HeiQ. Their USP is the fabric contains a blend of prebiotics and probiotics that last for up to 40 washes and transfer to your skin via body heat and friction. It’s an interesting concept and I can see how you could — temporarily at least — adjust the skin microbiome in this way. Although I’d like to see the long-term data. And so would Elissa. “Fashion is becoming a health asset,” she says. “Consumers are thinking about what their clothing is doing to (or for) their skin. That’s a real cultural shift worth tracking. I just want the data first.”
Spicules
When I mentioned spicules on Instagram, people were definitely interested in learning more so I might gloss over this one now, with a view to more of a deep dive in a few weeks time. But spicules, another Korean creation, are microscopic needle-shaped structures from marine sponge skeletons that when included in formulations can apparently both exfoliate and improve penetration of actives.
“Spicules were everywhere at this show,” Elissa told me. “On every other stand, in every other ingredient story, and unlike approximately 60% of what was being shouted about, the science behind them is legitimate.” More on this in a few weeks…
Packaging innovation
What product goes in is as much a story as the product itself, and according to Elissa, there are some interesting things going on there too. She flagged Shinkwang M&P’s Air Mist Gas-Free Spray System (another Korean invention) which won a Cosmopack Award. “It eliminates the aerosol propellant entirely — no gas, no flammability, no transport restrictions — using mechanical air compression to deliver stable 360° atomisation. It’s mega. It should be, and will be, everywhere soon.”
And, while she says she was initially suspicious of Korean contract manufacturer Cosmax’s Flush-it Melting Pad, it eventually won her over. “It’s made with a plant-based material designed not just to be technically flushable but to genuinely dissolve and biodegrade in water. It maintains its structure completely during use — you apply your toner, it holds together, does its job — and then breaks down when disposed of. No fatbergs. No microplastic. No landfill. Unlike the wet wipe industry’s version of “flushable” which essentially means “capable of leaving your U-bend and then becoming someone else’s sewage problem” this product appears to have actually solved the disposal question at a materials level.”
And while Korean innovation clearly dominated, there were other noteworthy contenders…
The cleanser that makes its own cotton pad
“This was a Cosmoprof Awards finalist, and deserved to be,” Elissa tells me. “Colep Consumer Products Portugal developed the Skin Sync Clean Slate Make-Up Remover using what they’re calling Dermapad technology — and the mechanism is genuinely clever.”
The aerosol delivers a foam that transforms into a soft, cotton-like pad which is already infused with a cleanser designed to remove makeup. It sounds brilliant and eco-friendly (although I’d be keen to know if — by switching a cotton pad for a can, you’re just swapping one sustainability issue for another.)
“I have questions about how it performs on heavy or waterproof makeup,” says Elissa. “I’d want to test it properly. But as a format innovation — actually impressive.” Agree. (I found a video of it on Insta which I’ve shared below…)
Hearteningly, sustainability did seem to be a big part of the conversation — but in a different way from previously. “Before brands were bolting an eco story onto an existing product and hoping nobody looked too closely,” says Elissa. “What I saw at this show were engineers and materials scientists solving actual problems — the aerosol propellant problem, the cotton pad waste problem — with real solutions. Not all of it is there yet. But the quality of thinking has gone up considerably.”
Our chat about Cosmoprof was extensive — and there was a LOT that we covered that was less convincing and more ethically (and evidentially) questionable, but I think I’ll save that for another time as this is getting WAY too long.
By the way, if you’re a beauty editor / writer and you’re reading this and you’d like to confess your worst beauty habit to me, I’m thinking about putting together a load of them in a forthcoming newsletter. It was prompted by me thinking about some of my guilty beauty pleasures. Y’know… stuff that derms say you shouldn’t do, stuff that you know is an eco crime but you’re just obsessed, stuff that people are shocked you do because you’re a beauty editor. You can be anon if you’re really ashamed of it, but if you fancy ‘fessing up, I’d love to hear it…
Phew…. that was a long one… until next time…
Note: I only enthuse about products I really rate, but I can earn commission on products I mention here. If you hate the idea of this, please let me know, as this is very much a work in progress and nothing is set in stone.
Ma’am that fake-tan Ted Talk was amazing and I don’t even dabble in ANY of that. Bravo.
Also RE: cooling, I have noticed a trendlet in the eyeshadow category. Tower28, Danessa Myricks, and Surratt all have shadows with a cooling sensation. Disclosure, I helped develop the Surratt one and I don’t recall “cooling” being a must-have, rather it was a nice-to-have.
I’m delighted to know how many steps there are to a proper home fake tan regime. Because I just do my legs (and summer only at that) with Dove gradual tan as I have zero patience so can’t face doing my whole bod and can’t face the waiting around for it to dry and develop. I always wonder how much more effort it would take to do all of me properly, and now I know and will stick to my minimal effort version as I know my time and effort tolerance level too well 😂
The conference/innovation stuff was fascinating. I’m not surprised at all that K beauty was the star of the show. Their products always seem so elegant. I’ve used Japanese or Korean SPF for years and never found a UK SPF I like and can tolerate more than Biore UV Watery Gel SPF50 (and I am about to try a few more from Stylevana after a post by BritishBeautyBlogger about her faves). The brush on over-make up SPF top-up sounded really cool. I’ve only ever used the spray top-ups and unfortunately they sting my eyes like a mofo.