Tanned skin looks attractive. If you don’t want to or can’t go on vacation or lie under the solarium, you can use an artificial tan from a tube.
The most important things at a glance
Tanned skin makes people look healthier and more attractive. However, if the holiday is far away or simply not possible, self-tanning creams can provide the holiday effect. In the current issue (04/2023), Stiftung Warentest has now examined whether these products are always as good as the manufacturers promise.
Self-tanner in the test: big price differences
Stiftung Warentest examined a total of 20 self-tanners. These include creams, lotions, gels, mousses, sprays and wipes. The big price differences in particular caught the eye: 100 milliliters cost between 0.98 and 23.30 euros.
But the sometimes high content of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was a factor that the testers criticized for the self-tanners. Although DHA ensures that the self-tanner can tint, it does release formaldehyde. And it’s not uncommon for people to be allergic to this chemical. In addition, formaldehydes are considered to be probable carcinogens, see above Stiftung product test.
Self-tanners: These performed the worst at Stiftung Warentest
At the bottom of the self-tanning test are “The Ritual Of Karma Self Tanning Body Lotion” from Rituals and the organic product “Alterra Naturkosmetik Selbstbräunungslotion” from Rossmann’s own brand Alterra. They each received the overall grade “sufficient”. The reasons: The products “tan the skin comparatively weakly,” according to the testers. The product from Rituals also contains numerous preservatives. However, the testers rated the user-friendliness of the two self-tanners as positive.
Self-tanner: This is the test winner at Stiftung Warentest
The best performers in the test included “Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse” from St. Tropez and “love at first tan” from b.tan. Both self-tanning mousses received the overall rating “good”. However, there are big differences in the price: 100 milliliters of the self-tanner from St. Tropez costs 23.30 euros – the b.tan product, on the other hand, only costs 5.00 euros.
Self-tanner at Stiftung Warentest: The overall result
Overall, the 20 self-tanners performed as follows:
- 11 self-tanners with the overall grade “good”
- 7 self-tanners with the overall grade “satisfactory”
- 2 self-tanners with the overall grade “sufficient”
