Before I became a makeup artist I pursued a career in the fitness industry. I was never really interested in being involved in sports growing up but I realized lifting weights agreed with me as there was no competition involved. Learning to discipline my body and work it out daily felt like the most natural thing to do, and with so many benefits. Training my muscles felt meditative to me. It was also very rewarding to be able to help individuals achieve their own fitness goals and to be in a positive, fun atmosphere every day.
As my muscles became more sculpted and defined, having a tan was like the icing on the cake as it accentuated all the contours and helped me see the results of my hard work. I was constantly searching for a tan in a bottle that did not leave me with streaks and an odd odor. I became a self-tanning junkie! Yet, I was never pleased with the ingredients I read on the bottle. And that all-to-familiar smell was not attractive! Some self tanning creams contained ‘parfums’ to mask the smell but eventually it would overpower any kind of added scent. Every formula also seemed to often contain alcohol, which dried out my skin. FInding a plant based self tanning creaming was completely out of the question a decade ago.
WHY DHA-FREE?
I decided if I ever had the chance and if it was even possible, I would create my own self tanning cream that had only nourishing, toxin-free ingredients and still offered no compromise on a beautiful, healthy-looking tan. Upon reading more about DHA (dihydroxyacetone), the active colouring agent in self tanning creams and spray tans, I realized I did not want to risk the long term effects of this ingredient just to have a tanned look. Over the years it has been reported that DHA can wreak havoc on your DNA, especially in spray form. Being that everything we put on our skin can be absorbed into our blood stream, the risks to me greatly outweighed any beauty benefits.
Yet, I missed having that tan in a bottle at my fingertips. Although it is now known that too much sun can accelerate aging, a tan to me is like the ultimate body bb cream with SPF coverage. It diffuses hyperpigmentation, cellulite, scarring, stretch marks, and creates a smooth, leaner look. So once I started creating my makeup line, I wasted no time in creating my own plant based, toxin-free self-tanning cream. I have tweaked it a little over the years with some newly discovered food grade ingredients but most importantly I am proud to say it is 100% DHA-FREE.
The active tanning agent is a natural sugar from a berry and the result is a more golden, less red/orange tone than the DHA version creates. Without the DHA, the tan takes a little longer to develop so I recommend applying it a day before you are wanting your tan to show up. Exfoliating before your first application will create more intense colour and applying a hydrating body oil or moisturizer daily will extend the life of your tan. To build on the colour you can apply two days back to back or wait a day to see if it is dark enough and then apply a second application on the third day.
Our HAUT CARAMEL TAN has no odor and no added synthetic scent, only skin-loving ingredients that are safe enough to ingest. ALSO! We have just launched our +EXTRA COLOUR option if you need a little more colour than the ORIGINAL provides. Our unique formula is safe enough to use on the face and is also safe for teens and pregnant mamas who would love a little colour. If you have an extra fair skin tone I recommend mixing a little moisturizer with our HAUT CARAMEL TAN as even the ORIGINAL has a generous dose of colour.
caramel tan review
Emmily Banks, an eco-beauty advocate, celebrity makeup artist, and founder of Depths of Beauty recently reviewed our CARAMEL TAN along with a few others! Read what she had to say about it HERE. I recommend storing your CARAMEL TAN in the fridge as the thicker consistency will keep you from applying too much and also keep all the antioxidants more potent. You will find even the 1oz size will go much further. I like to mix a little with my Coconut Cream to my upper forehead, cheek bones, and bridge of nose to create a sun kissed look. What I learned from my experience in the fitness industry is that you can do the same contouring on your body {click photo for reference link}:
