I was recently commissioned to manage a consulting project for a major skin care brand which focused on a deep dive into the sunless tanning industry - the salons that use UV lights/lamps/rays to produce a tan on your skin.
The headline of the executive summary I presented to the senior executives was "Sunless Tanning Industry - Doin' the Devil's Work".
Every bad thing you have heard about the ill-effects of these salons is absolutely true, as is the less than clear and often incorrect information the industry shares with customers.
It was sad, disheartening and maybe illegal to hear people that sell the machines and manage salons say: Certain types of tan are good for you, or Tans help fight other diseases, or As long as you build a base, you can gradually get a healthy tan, or The hype you hear in the news has been found to be untrue. I probably visited 30 salons and spoke to or visited four light machine manufacturers and the commentary was near uniform.
Keep in mind that all these people said this to me - a pasty skinned Irishman who is susceptible to sunburn when I stand under fluorescent lights.
While working in the sunscreen industry, I learned that everyone like a little color (i.e. tan) - it makes them feel sexier, skinnier, more attractive and ironically, more healthy. Don't fall for it, the incidence of skin cancer is raging.
The only healthy tan is a (rub-on or spray-on) fake tan. Unfortunately, that technology is seriously flawed and no major or minor skin care brand has cracked the code.
O.D.O.o.O.D.B.
