This article was originally published in the Sun Care Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Self-tan is being reinvented. No longer a separate and seasonal step, it is now sitting within consumers’ beauty and wellness routines, and savvy brands are jumping on the opportunity to develop multi-benefit, skin care ingredient-focused tanners.
The ‘skinification’ of self-tan arrives at a time when the sunless tanning market is booming. The UK is one of the fastest growing markets, with sales growing by 43% over the past year (April 2025 to April 2026), according to Circana.
The research company’s Executive Director of Beauty in Europe, Mathilde Lion, says this is due to two effects, “the greater amount of sunny days, which is encouraging people to prepare a tan in advance before going out in the sun, and part of the wellness approach of treating your skin. Formulas are much more evolved and that is ensuring more adoption from consumers.”
The US is experiencing a boom in consumer interest for sunless tanners too, with searches up 55.3% in 2025 versus 2024 across Google, TikTok, Instagram US, according to Spate. The trend forecasting platform says in its Sun Care Trends 2026: How the US Sun Care and Tanning Market is Evolving report that, while there is growing understanding about the damage of UV exposure, there is still a desire to have the glow that comes from a tan and “self-tanners, bronzing drops, and tanning waters stepped into that gap.”
Spate adds: “The more interesting development is the crossover between tanning and skin care. Self-tanners formulated with hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, and anti-ageing active ingredients are growing fast. For brands in the tanning space, the opportunity is to stop selling a base tan and start selling a skin care step that happens to bronze.”
The ‘skinification’ of self-tan is one of the most exciting directions the category can take - Megan Adams, NPD Manager, Bare by Vogue
Skin care that tans
Bare by Vogue's Overnight Tan Mask is positioned as the final step in an evening skin care routine
Some brands are ahead of the game.
Bare by Vogue launched Overnight Tan Mask, a treatment positioned as the final step in an evening skin care routine to deliver a natural tan by the morning, but it also supports the skin’s renewal process.
“We developed the Overnight Tan Mask in response to a very clear shift in consumer behaviour – people no longer want their tanning products to sit separately from their skin care routines,” says Megan Adams, NPD Manager at Bare by Vogue.
“Today’s customer is ingredient-conscious, skin care educated, and looking for products that deliver multiple benefits at once. Rather than creating a traditional self-tan product that simply adds colour, we wanted to create a formula that genuinely supports the skin overnight while also delivering a healthy, believable glow by morning.”
The Overnight Tan Mask combines tanning actives with bakuchiol and a peptide complex, and is designed to feel like skin care first, with tanning becoming a seamless added benefit. The positioning of the product as the final step in an evening skin care routine also reflects how consumers are already using overnight masks, moisturisers, and treatment products, says Adams.
“We believe the ‘skinification’ of self-tan is one of the most exciting directions the category can take because it changes the perception of tanning entirely,” says Adams. “It moves tanning away from being seen as an occasional cosmetic step and positions it as part of a broader wellness and self-care ritual.”
Historically, self-tan was treated as a standalone beauty product focused purely on colour payoff, but it has already evolved hugely as consumers have become more sophisticated in their beauty routines and increasingly prioritise skin health, says Adams.
“But there was still a real opportunity to modernise the experience further – especially around formulation, skin feel, ingredients, and how tanning fits into people’s lifestyles today,” she says.
“Consumers are used to hybrid products in make-up and skin care, such as foundations with skin care benefits, SPF-infused cosmetics, treatment serums with colour correction, so it feels like a very natural evolution for tanning to move in the same direction.”
Dior Solar Self-Tanning Drops which are infused with hyaluronic acid, are designed to be used as a new ritual before face cream
A key innovation in this arena is Vita Liberata’s Glaze Peptide Tanning Serum, which claims to support skin on a cellular level with tripeptide 1 and tetrapeptide 7 stimulating collagen and elastin production, while building up a natural tan over time.
Dior has also moved in, claiming to “reinvent the sun care routine” with Dior Solar Self-Tanning Drops which are infused with hyaluronic acid and its Pro-Tan Technology based on two plant-based ingredients with pro-pigmenting effects, plectranthus, and inositol from the carob fruit. Providing a buildable tan, it is designed to be used as a new ritual before face cream, suitable for all year round use.
St. Tropez’s Sunlit Skin Bronzing Tint + Tan, meanwhile, is a skin-perfecting serum that provides an instant glow on application and a tan that starts to develop in one hour, making it the brand’s fastest developing formula. Hyaluronic acid is also included for hydration.
Creating customised looks
Loving Tan’s latest launch, 2 HR Express Self-Tanning Lotion Dark
Skin care-infused tanning is one of the key selling points of Loving Tan’s latest launch 2 HR Express Self-Tanning Lotion Dark, with hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5 and chamomile extract to soothe and nourish skin.
The brand, which recently relaunched with new packaging also cites how “at home self-tan solutions area much easier way to achieve the perfect tan without having to fit a spray tan into your already busy schedule,” according to Jessie Dean, Loving Tan Marketing Director, and that “self-tan also allows for greater customisation, including the ability to create natural-looking tan lines by carefully applying your self-tan over tape or bikini straps if desired.”
Mass market brand Dove is also refreshing its play in the category in line with the skinification of sunless tan. The brand has just relaunched its Summer Revived range with its pro-ceramide technology to offer long-term barrier support, including Gradual Tan Lotion and Gradual Tan Mousse, which also contain niacinamide to improve skin tone and refine texture.
The category is seeing new players raise the bar too, with celebrity spray tanner Mishel Chernyavskiy launching a new brand positioned as ‘sunless-driven skin care’ after hearing complaints from clients about self-tan being drying, patchy, and never truly skin-friendly.
“I saw a major white space in the market because very few brands were actually treating the skin while tanning it,” Chernyavskiy tells Cosmetics Business, explaining that she founded MSK Labs with the mindset that “good skin equals a good tan,” with formulas designed to deliver a natural-looking glow while actively supporting the skin barrier, hydration, and overall skin health.
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