What’s the deal with … Tan boosters?

A new sun cream promises to make you go brown in the sun 40 times faster in 10 days than without it. No, it’s not spiked with self-tan (which ‘rusts’ the top skin layers) – it boosts production of melanin, the skin’s own protective pigment. How? It contains a brand-new biological tanning agent called Bronzyl. It makes more of your melanin (which sits over the DNA in skin cells, shielding it from invading UV rays) come to the surface, faster. Genius! So I can ditch sunscreen halfway through my vacay..? That’s precisely the wrong idea. A tan is never a reliable sunscreen. No matter how brown you get, you must always wear high-SPF protection. The idea behind Ultrasun Body Tan Activator SPF30 is that you tan so quickly, you spend more time in the shade – as you should if your health is dear to you. But I like a good fry! If you take regular breaks from the sun and do all you can to avoid burning, your glow will last much longer. So, go sit under a palm tree. Can’t I get 40 times browner in a day? Skin can only produce a limited amount of melanin each day – so, even with a tan-boosting sun cream, the answer is no. Sorry. Have I not seen tan accelerators before? Yes, there are lovely products out there to rev up melanin production (using beta-Carotene or amino acids), but they contain no SPF. Do not fall for their inference that your slightly browner skin will offer sun protection. What about extending my tan? Good old Lancaster Tan Maximiser After Sun will do that for you – it uses the same melanin-boosting principle.