Vegan Fake Tan And Organic Self Tan Products
See our Ethical Self Tan Ratings Table to compare brands
Skin cancer and the benefits of fake tan
Self tan is a great product to get that glow without risking skin cancer. With a greater interest in skin products and the health of our skin, we are more aware of the dangers of lying out baking all day. (Check out our article on Ethical Sun Protection to learn how to avoid wrinkles, sunburn and skin cancer sustainably!) The NHS advises that just one tanning session can increase the risk of skin cancer. Tanning beds are even worse, with one study on women with melanoma skin cancer finding that 97% of participants had used tanning beds. Using self tan will give you the same results without prematurely ageing your skin or chancing skin cancer.
Due to the increasing popularity of self tan, it is important to learn a little more about the ethical impact of fake tan brands and products. Unfortunately, there are still ethical issues relating to the Environment, Animals, and People within the fake tan sector.
Head over to our Ethical Fake Tan Ratings Table to see the best fake tan brands (as well as the worst) and their performance on ethics and sustainability. This give you all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision on the most ethical fake tan brands to choose from.
Self tan packaging
One of the key environmental issues with self tan is packaging. Many fake tan brands sell their products in plastic bottles that create tonnes of waste and take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Moreover, the production of plastic is associated with high levels of carbon emissions, creating even more problems for our planet. Perhaps most pressingly, scientists have now found microplastics from carrier bags and bottles in human blood samples. This article from The Guardian explains more about this study.
To address this, you can look out for self tan products sold in recycled or recyclable packaging.
Vegan fake tan and animal welfare
Unfortunately, some fake tan brands still test their products on animals and use animal-derived ingredients in their formulas. Since many vegan fake tan products are now widely available, there is no excuse for companies to continue to subject animals to this unnecessary cruelty.
Our research: Fake vegan fake tan!
Our latest research reveals several ethical issues that many fake tan brands are still engaging in. Firstly, many supposedly vegan fake tan brands are not certified by any third-party organisations. For instance, Fake Bake, Filter by Molly Mae, and Tanologist all claim to be ‘vegan friendly’ but do not have any vegan-certified products.
This creates an issue where consumers are expected to trust brands’ claims, with little evidence to prove that they are telling the truth. Hence, we only award points to companies under our Vegetarian and Vegan category when their products have been certified by either The Vegetarian Society or The Vegan Society, as well as Vegan Action in the U.S.
Fortunately, there are some fake tan brands that do have certified vegan products, including Tanorganic and VeganTan, which are certified by The Vegan Society. We recommend choosing from these companies if you want to ensure the product is truly a vegan fake tan.
Organic fake tan
Brands such as Green People offer organic fake tan lotion formulated for sensitive skin. Many ingredients in other self tan products can be irritating to the skin, as they strip the skin of its natural moisture. When our natural oils and barriers are stripped, our skin is left exposed to dryness and irritants. Buying organic fake tan reduces the demand and use of pesticides, insecticides and fungicides, and may be gentler on your skin.
Human rights and self tan
We were pleased to see how many fake tan brands have a clean record on environmental and human rights criticisms. The majority of brands assessed in our research received a top ethical rating under our Public Record Criticisms category, meaning they have not received any criticism from NGOs or journalists.
However, there are some exceptions to this. Sally Hansen, which is owned by Coty Inc. and JAB Holding Company, has been marked down for its parent company’s involvement in deforestation and human rights concerns. They also received a bottom ethical rating under Animal Welfare due to the fact Coty Inc. is still engaging in animal testing.
Our advice: Choose the best fake tan for your ethical values
Luckily, there are several things you can do to become more ethical when buying self tan. Purchase from ethical fake tan brands to boycott companies that do not respect the environment, animals, and human rights. Our Ethical Fake Tan Ratings Table can help you identify the best fake tan brands, just look for the top-rated companies on our list.
Another thing you can do is look for fake tan brands that sell their products in recycled or recyclable packaging. This will help you to reduce waste from plastic packaging and therefore your overall environmental impact.
We also recommend purchasing vegan fake tan only from vegan certified brands. As vegan certification rules out both animal ingredients and animal testing, this ensures your purchase will be free from any form of animal cruelty. By using our handy tips, you can become a more ethical consumer whilst still enjoying all your favourite products.
See our Ethical Self Tan Ratings Table to compare brands
The Good Shopping Guide not only ranks and rates brands on our Ethical Ratings Tables, but also writes detailed articles on each brand’s ethics and sustainability policies. Click on any brand name to read more about individual companies and ethical issues.
Green People, TanOrganic, VeganTan, COOLA, Skinny Tan, St Moriz, Bondi Sands, Coco & Eve, Isle of Paradise, James Read, Vita Liberata, BPerfect, Bali Body, Bare by Vogue, Bbold, Cocoa Brown, Fake Bake, Filter by Molly Mae, Loving Tan, St Tropez, Tan Luxe, Tanologist and Sally Hansen.