“Ingredient Cheat Code”

What Helps Your Tan Last vs. What Fades It Faster

If you’ve ever wondered why one spray tan lasts beautifully while another fades patchy or quickly, the answer is almost always your skincare and body products. Your tan doesn’t just depend on the solution; it depends on what touches your skin before and after.

The rule we teach all clients and partners:

• If it strips, exfoliates, or aggressively treats skin, your tan won’t like it.

• If it hydrates, soothes, and protects your skin barrier, your tan lasts longer.

Ingredients That Can Fade Your Tan Faster

These aren’t “bad” ingredients—many are actually amazing for your skin. They just aren’t ideal while maintaining a professional glow.

Fragrance + Essential Oils

Highly fragranced products or straight essential oils can irritate the skin and cause faster fading.

• Avoid: Fragrance / Parfum, undiluted essential oils, and strong citrus or peppermint blends.

Exfoliating Ingredients

These remove skin cells gradually, which also removes your tan.

• Avoid: Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Retinol / Retinoids, and strong Vitamin C formulas.

Physical Scrubs

These remove skin instantly—which removes your tan instantly.

• Avoid: Sugar, salt, coffee, or walnut shell scrubs, and daily loofah use.

Heavy Oils Right Before Tanning

Oils can block solution absorption if applied before an appointment.

• Avoid: Coconut oil, olive oil, baby oil, or body oils used on the same day as your tan.

• (Note: Oils inside rinse-off cleansers are fine. It’s oils left sitting on the skin that interfere.)

Harsh Cleansers + Drying Alcohols

If your skin feels “squeaky clean,” it’s probably being stripped.

• Avoid: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Alcohol Denat, SD Alcohol, and Isopropyl Alcohol.

• (Note: Fatty alcohols like cetyl or stearyl alcohol are moisturizing and safe!)

Ingredients That Help Your Tan Last Longer

These strengthen your skin barrier, which is what actually holds your tan.

Hydrators + Barrier Support

• Hydrators: Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium PCA.

• Barrier Support: Ceramides, Cholesterol, Fatty acids.

Soothers + Occlusives

• Soothers: Aloe Vera, Allantoin, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Colloidal oatmeal.

• Occlusives: Shea butter, Dimethicone, Petrolatum.

Gentle Cleansers

• Safe Swaps: Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate.

Why Formulation Matters More Than Ingredients

You may see conflicting info online about ingredients like Vitamin C or Lavender. That’s because the ingredient name alone doesn’t determine how it behaves—the formulation does.

• Vitamin C: Some strong forms exfoliate and fade tans. However, professionally formulated, stabilized versions can brighten and support skin while remaining tan-safe.

• Lavender: Straight essential oil can irritate. But diluted, professionally blended lavender can soothe skin and support even fading.

👉 What matters is the concentration, delivery system, and balance of the formula.

How BEETTAN Products Are Designed Differently

We formulate every product specifically to support your glow, not fight it.

• Our Scrub: Preps skin perfectly before tanning but rinses completely clean, leaving zero residue behind to block absorption.

• Our Body Butter: Designed as a tan-safe moisturizer, it hydrates while helping blend areas that tend to grab color unevenly, like elbows and knees.

• Our Body Wash: Uses an aloe and glycerin base to cleanse gently without stripping your tan or your skin barrier.

• Our Vitamin C Tanner Serum: This multitasking formula combines brightening Vitamin C with a gradual tanner, meaning it enhances your glow instead of fading it.

The Takeaway

Your spray tan lives in your top skin layer. Anything that damages or dries that layer fades your tan faster. Anything that hydrates and protects it makes your glow last longer.

Healthy skin holds color better.