DHA Is The Key Ingredient
In Any Spray Tanning Solution.
But All DHA Formulas Are Not Created Equal. In Fact, It’s Not Even Close.
4 Things You Should Know About DHA—What To Look For… And Watch Out For
DHA is the active ingredient shared by all spray tanning solutions. It’s a totally natural, completely safe substance derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane. When DHA and other complementary ingredients are applied to the body, they naturally respond to the amino acids in the outer layer of the skin and change its color to a tan tone that looks great. The tan generally lasts for 7 to 10 days depending on the skin type, additives, and other factors.
But even ignoring the major problems that can arise from inferior equipment and/or poorly trained technicians, tanning solution itself isn’t guaranteed to give your customers a great tan just because it contains DHA. The problems with other formulas—and Fantasy Tan’s solutions—are:
The “One-Size-Fits All;
Good Luck With That” Problem
The Problem: Most brands of solutions are available in just ONE color. Just one. Imagine if makeup or hair color only came in ONE color—it simply wouldn’t work for most people! But somehow the other tanning companies have decided that regardless of underlying skin tone/color, regardless skin type, regardless of desired final color… everyone has to use the same color.
Fantasy Tan Solution: We have 5 different colors, and two of the formulas are also available in clear. This allows you to create an exact, perfect mix for any given client. All colors can be mixed in any proportion with other colors, allowing for an infinite number of shades. Even though the mixing process is very simple for your technician, your client perceives value in the time it takes and the care you place on this process. The result is your clients get a better looking tan that they perceive is worth more—so you make more money.
The “Forced Tan; You Look
Like A Dorito” Problem
The Problem: Since most brands only have one color formula, they have to compensate for customers who want darker tans by simply globbing more tanning solution on them or they use solutions with ridiculous amounts of DHA in order to FORCE color. This leads to a host of problems, ranging from the customer feeling like they’re wearing a layer of sticky, dried soda, to unnatural colors that make customers look weird. When a spray tan is first applied, the resulting color is from the cosmetic bronzers in the formula, NOT from the DHA—which naturally takes about 8 to 12 hours to fully activate. The result is customers that really have NO/DHA what the extra DHA will do to their skin or how it will look the next day. Usually, not so good.
Fantasy Tan Solution: Our solutions are all designed to complement your customers’ natural skin tones; this happens through a combination of training—knowing which solution goes best with which skin tones—and quality of solutions—no “globbing” is required to attain the desired darkness. Applying more solution doesn’t help a tan look better any more than using an entire bottle of shampoo on your hair at one time will make your hair cleaner. For us, it’s all about training and superior formulas.
The “Too Much Of A Good Thing;
You Look Like A Lizard” Problem
The Problem: Since DHA is the active ingredient that causes the tan, other companies think that simply putting a higher concentration of DHA in their formulas is a good thing. Some companies even brag about concentrations as high as 10, 15, and even 20% DHA!—trust me, not a good thing. All this DHA will make your customers look more tan, but it comes with a price. It will dry out their skin and leave their skin patchy with a “lizardy” look and feel. I think we can all agree that the words “spray tan” and “lizard” are ever good when used together.
Fantasy Tan Solution: Our 5 formulas use reasonable levels of DHA, but nowhere near 10, 15, or 20% levels of some other companies (the exact percentages/formula have always been a trade secret, but have never exceeded 10% DHA). To achieve the darker skin tones in our darker formulas, the level of DHA is mixed with other tanning agents to create the desired effect. Our formulas do not dehydrate the skin, are smooth to the touch, and absorb faster on the skin because of the smaller particle size produced by our superior sprayers.
The “Cheap DHA
From Cheap Suppliers
To Save A Buck” Problem
The Problem: All DHA is not created equally, either. Many companies attempt to save money by buying low-grade DHA. The manufacturing processes are not as refined, and the quality control standards are often either not in place or not enforced. The result is potentially low quality formulas that look bad on your customers’ skin.
Fantasy Tan Solution: Our DHA is all manufactured using the strictest manufacturing processes in the industry, and is ECOCERT® certified. ECOCERT® is a certifying agency which has established a standard for formulating, manufacturing and marketing natural and/or organic food products as well as personal care products. ECOCERT® requires products to be manufactured using substantial quantities of natural and organic ingredients procured using environmentally friendly processes. No more than 5% of total ingredients can come from synthetic molecules, which are considered indispensible to the formulation.
