By Katie Phillips, California Tan Sunless

The sunless industry is booming and everyone, including companies in other industries, knows. As a result, many makeup companies, haircare companies and even big box retailers are developing sunless products. As sunless tanning professionals, these outside industry sunless products hurt business for a multitude of reasons.

Not only it is frustrating to hear a client talk about how they use a drugstore self tanner as you stand in front of your expansive sunless retail line, but you also want the best for your customers. There are several reasons why these products not the best for sunless tanners, all stemming from product quality, or lack thereof.

Poor Product Quality 

For companies in the sunless industry, sunless is our life. We have the research and know-how to make quality products that will give clients a flawless, natural tan. We have chemists that work on products day in and day out for years, testing stability and results, to ensure customers get the very best. Whereas sunless is an add on for other outside industries. It’s an afterthought, a hot trend to jump on. This is apparent in their marketing and packaging, where you’ll see and hear words like “organic sunless tanner” and “will give you a base tan for your vacation” – complete misunderstanding of sunless products.

Mixing Products Risks Client’s Color

This happens all the time. A client wants a spray tan with an industry trusted sunless company’s solution, but might not want to buy a $20 exfoliator or wants a really fragrant body wash, so the client buys products from the big box store’s sunless line. As it turns out that exfoliator was formulated with a heavy oil that sits on their skin, and that body wash contains sulfate which strips color. As many of the makeup, haircare and box retailers don’t make sunless solution, consequently, they don’t make products that effectively fit into the professional sunless tanning regimen.

Cost Ineffectiveness

This comes at no surprise, but purchasing poor quality products is a waste of money. Customers will end up throwing it away or, worse, trying to use it with other sunless products. Combining low grade products with high grade products not only results in unsatisfactory color, but it wastes the good product purchased too. This is an especially good point to bring up when clients are reluctant to purchase items that they could get cheaper elsewhere. The phrase “you get what you pay for” comes to mind.

Getting sunless tanners to purchase products only through salons is difficult. For years now the industry has been focusing on cracking down on unauthorized sellers, but now, salons have to fight another battle with outside companies claiming to be sunless brands. Let’s start having these conversations with clients and tell them, “don’t buy your sunless tanner from non sunless industry brands!”