The question we get most
How much do I actually use?
Less than you think.
Of everything that lands in our inbox, this is the one that comes back most: how much do I put on, when, and why does it feel sticky? So here is how to apply tan accelerator properly, the amount for every Delux formula, and the reason the right amount always looks too small. The answer is short. So is the amount.
10psized amount per area, for the creams
5psized amount per area, for Sun Sauce
1 peaper area of the face, for Lumière
1-2 minbefore your session, on clean, dry skin
Quick answer: apply tan accelerator to clean, dry skin 1 to 2 minutes before a sunbed session or before you go out in the sun. Use a 10p-sized amount per area for a cream, a 5p-sized amount for a jelly like Sun Sauce, and a pea-sized amount per area of the face. Spread it thin until it disappears. Outdoors, let it absorb, then put your sunscreen on over the top. If it feels sticky or sits on the skin, you have used too much. The full product-by-product breakdown lives in
the Delux manual.
Part one
Why the right amount looks too small
Most of us learned to put cream on like moisturiser: a big dollop, rubbed in until the arm stops complaining. A tan accelerator is not moisturiser. The ingredients that do the work, things like acetyl tyrosine, the building block your skin uses to make melanin, act in the top layer of the skin. A thin layer absorbs in a minute or two and gets on with it.
A thick layer does not absorb faster. It sits on the surface, feels tacky, rubs off on your clothes and empties the tube in half the time.
More product does not mean more tan. It means more product on your leggings.
Thin absorbs. A layer you can barely see is the layer that sinks in. Thick sits on top.
Thin goes further. Every Delux formula is concentrated. Using the right amount makes a tube or pouch last far longer than you would guess.
Thin is cleaner on a bed. Fully absorbed means nothing wet between you and the acrylic, which is what salons care about.
Part two
How much tan accelerator to use, formula by formula
Think of an area as roughly one arm. Legs, back and torso are bigger, so treat each as a few areas rather than one big scoop.
| Formula |
Per area |
Feels right when |
| Next-Gen creams: Island Coconut, Electric Melon, Vanilla Paradise |
10p-sized |
Massaged in until fully absorbed, no residue |
| Go Dark |
10p-sized |
Absorbed clean, skin soft rather than greasy |
| Sun Sauce (jelly) |
5p-sized |
So thin you can barely see it |
| Lumière (face) |
A pea |
Blended past the jaw onto the neck |
| Tropic Like It's Hot (tingle) |
10p-sized |
Thin, even, and a warmth that builds then fades |
Why Sun Sauce needs less than a cream
Sun Sauce carries our highest concentration of tanning actives in a light, water-based jelly. There are no butters to absorb a bigger dose, so a 5p-sized amount easily covers a whole arm. Cream amounts are the single most common mistake with it.
Why the face gets a pea, not a 10p
Facial skin is thinner and needs far less. Lumière goes on a pea per area: forehead, each cheek, nose and centre, jaw and neck. Go lighter over the nose and centre, which sit closest to the lamps. Any Delux cream is fine on the face, Lumière just suits it better.
Tropic Like It's Hot comes with rules
Our tingle accelerator is for experienced tanners only. Patch test a small area 24 hours before first use, never put it on the face, and keep it off broken, sensitive or freshly shaved or waxed skin. Wash your hands straight after. If the warmth becomes uncomfortable, rinse with cool water and do not reapply. New to accelerators? Start with a Next-Gen cream.
Part three
How to apply tan accelerator, step by step
Step 1: clean, dry skin. Wash off body lotion, sunscreen or makeup first, so nothing sits between the formula and your skin.
Step 2: the amount goes in your palm. A 10p for a cream, a 5p for Sun Sauce, a pea for Lumière. Not straight from the tube onto your leg, where it always comes out as a 50p.
Step 3: spread thin and even. Long strokes, one area at a time, until it disappears. Creams get massaged in. Sun Sauce gets glided on and left to absorb.
Step 4: wait 1 to 2 minutes. Then get on the bed, or head outside. No need to wait longer.
Step 5: outdoors, sunscreen goes on top. Delux first, let it absorb, then your usual SPF over it. None of our formulas contain SPF, and a tan accelerator works with UV, not as protection from it.
Use it before every session. Consistency does more than quantity ever will. If you are outdoors and you swim, reapply once you are dry.
Part four
Why does my tanning jelly feel sticky?
Because there is too much of it. We say that kindly, and we say it a lot. A jelly applied at cream amounts sits on the skin as a wet film instead of sinking in, and that film is what sticks to sofas and trousers. It is the most common complaint we get about Sun Sauce, and the fix is always the same.
Applied like a cream
Tacky
10p or moreRubbed like lotionLayered up
A visible wet layer that never quite dries, and a pouch that runs out early.
VS
Applied like a jelly
Gone
5p per areaLong strokesLeft to absorb
A layer so thin you can barely see it, absorbed in a minute or two.
Already sticky? Wipe off the excess with a dry towel. What is left is the right amount.
Next time: start with less than feels sensible. If it feels like too little, it is probably right.
Give it a few goes. Most people need a couple of sessions to get the amount right. Once you do, you will not go back to cream amounts.
The honest bit
A jelly is a different texture to a cream, and some people simply prefer cream. That is fine. If you have tried a 5p amount for a few sessions and still do not like the feel, a Next-Gen cream carries melanin actives in a texture you already know. We would rather you used the one you like than forced the one you do not.
Liking the texture is half of using it every session.
More on how jellies differ from creams and oils: tanning jelly, explained.
Part five
Cream, jelly or SPF: what goes on first?
The other question that comes in every week. The answers are shorter than the question.
Cream and jelly together? You do not need both. Pick the one you prefer and use it on its own. Layering two accelerators does not double anything except the cost.
Face and body in one session? Lumière on the face and neck, your usual cream or jelly from the neck down. Same session, different amounts.
Accelerator or sunscreen first? Accelerator first, every time. Let it absorb for 1 to 2 minutes, then sunscreen over the top. Put it the other way round and the sunscreen sits between your skin and the formula.
Why two layers beat one.
If it feels like too little, it is probably the right amount.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How do you apply tan accelerator?
On clean, dry skin, 1 to 2 minutes before a sunbed session or sun exposure. Put the amount in your palm, spread it thin and even in long strokes until it disappears, and outdoors apply sunscreen over the top once it has absorbed.
How much tan accelerator should I use?
For a Delux cream, a 10p-sized amount per area, roughly one arm. For Sun Sauce, a 5p-sized amount per area. For Lumière on the face, a pea-sized amount per area. Every formula is concentrated, so the right amount looks smaller than you expect.
Why is my tanning jelly sticky?
Almost always because too much has gone on. A jelly needs far less than a cream. Wipe off the excess with a dry towel and use a 5p-sized amount per area next time, spread thin and left to absorb.
How long before a sunbed should I apply tan accelerator?
1 to 2 minutes before your session is enough for a thin layer to absorb. There is no benefit to applying it an hour early.
Do I put tan accelerator on before or after sunscreen?
Before. Apply your tan accelerator first, let it absorb for 1 to 2 minutes, then put your sunscreen on over the top. A tan accelerator is not sun protection.
Can I use a tanning cream and a tanning jelly together?
You can, but there is no need. Pick the one you prefer and use it on its own before every session. Two accelerators layered together just means more product on the skin.
A 10p, a 5p, a pea.
That is the whole method. Thin, even, on clean skin, before every session. Every product, every amount and every mistake to avoid is in the Delux manual.
Read the Delux manualTry a Next-Gen sachet
Not sure how much? · Every product, every amountThe manual
