Swap hours of fake tanning for a couple of sweeties each day to get skin to take on a gorgeous glow? OK, we’re listening…
Patchy elbows and streaky feet, that tell-tale biscuity aroma and stained sheets – there are many things I personally do not love about fake tanning products. But like the late, great Scottish comedian Billy Connolly said, my natural skintone is a kind of pale blue, and it takes me a week of sitting in the sun just to turn white, so I’m not ready to give up on the idea of bottle bronzing quite yet.
But a new product that promises to bring a natural golden glow to my skin, and all I have to do is eat some gummy sweets? Yes, I am down for that.
Utan’s Original Tan Gummies launched online at Superdrug this month promising a new kind of daily glow boost that sits somewhere between skincare, supplements and self-tan. They’ve been seven years in development and have some impressive clinical study results, from 90-day trials.
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This isn’t the first time that Utan has delved into this market, and tan supplements are not a new concept. In fact, it’s well known that you can adjust the colour of your skin with large amounts of beta carotene, a nutrient found in carrots, that is responsible for their orange colour. Yes, in fact, eating too many carrots can turn you slightly orange (see #carrotmaxxing on social media – for a trend you do not want to try).
But Utan’s Original Tan Gummies do not contain beta carotene, or synthetic versions of it – that’s one of the things the company has been working on for years. Instead, Utan says the formula has been designed to support the skin’s natural tanning pathways from the inside out, using a blend of L-Tyrosine, copper, zinc and vitamin E, with no beta-carotene at all.
The result? In their clinical study, over 90 days, every single one of the 32 participants showed a measurable skintone shift. In addition, according to the brand, “Independent testing physically verified a significant increase in the skin’s Minimal Erythema Dose (MED). This means the formula actively elevates the skin’s natural threshold and resilience against UV-induced redness.”
Does this mean we can give up sun tan lotion?
Emphatically no. Utan are the first to clarify that the boost to MED is ‘not enough to replace sunscreen’, so daily SPF to protect your skin from ageing and skin-cancer-causing damage is still non-negotiable.
But can I give up fake tan?
Well… actually maybe yes. Of course, if you’re a bottle bronze afficionado, waiting 90 days where you used to have to wait 8 hours or less is not going to feel like a reasonable swap, but with a little forward planning, it really does present an alternative. Back to those clinical trials:
- 90.6% of users stated they would use fewer topical self-tanners and cosmetic bronzers to achieve their desired glow
and
- 96.8% of participants reported a warmer, healthier-looking and effortlessly radiant glow that fades perfectly and evenly without patching or streaking.
The Original Tan Gummies are £30 for 60 gummies. Take 2-3 gummies per day with a meal containing at least 3 grams of fat. Suck until dissolved.
If you’re still wanted to boost your colour with a bit of bottle, head to Boots where the Bondi Sands range is reduced by up to 50%, including their Bondi Sands Self Tan Foam in Light/Medium and Dark, down from £17.49 to £11.66.
