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Tan Accelerator With SPF: Why Two Layers Beat One

Tan Accelerator With SPF: Why Two Layers Beat One - Delux Tanners
Sun safety guide

Tan accelerator with SPF.
Why two layers beat one.

It is one of the most searched tanning products in the UK and, we think, one of the least sensible. Here is what an SPF-and-accelerator combo has to compromise on, and the two-step routine that does both jobs properly.

2jobs pulling in opposite directions
2hours before sunscreen needs reapplying
1accelerator application per session is enough
0SPF in any Delux formula, on purpose
1Why people want it2Why it compromises3The two-layer routine4What to buy
Sunscreen is dosed by quantity and reapplied every two hours. An accelerator is applied once and left to absorb.
Combine them and one job gets done badly. Usually the protection.
Accelerator first, sunscreen on top, reapply the sunscreen only.
You tan through sunscreen anyway. The two-layer routine costs you nothing in colour.

Part one

Why people want the combo

Convenience, mostly. One bottle, one step, and a promise that you will be protected and golden without thinking about it. We understand the appeal. The problem is that the two products are used in opposite ways, and a single formula has to pick a side.

Part two

Why the all-in-one compromises

Sunscreen only reaches its stated SPF when applied generously and evenly, and it needs reapplying roughly every two hours and after swimming or towelling. An accelerator is the reverse: applied once to clean, dry skin before exposure, massaged in, and left to absorb so its actives can get to work. Put both in one tube and either you reapply the accelerator every two hours, which is pointless and expensive, or you apply the SPF once, which is not enough. In practice most people do the second, and the number on the bottle stops meaning anything by mid-morning. An SPF that is not reapplied is a burn with a false sense of security, and a burn is not a tan.

All-in-one

Half
Applied onceSPF fades by mid-morningOr actives wasted

One tube, two jobs, and whichever one you did not reapply is the one you needed.

VS

Two layers

Both
Accelerator onceSPF on topReapply SPF onlyFull protection all day

Each product used the way it was designed. Protected and golden.

Part three

The two-layer routine

Step one: accelerator. Clean, dry skin, before you head out. Massage in until absorbed. Give it a few minutes.
Step two: sunscreen. A broad-spectrum SPF over the top, applied generously. Reapply every two hours and after swimming.
Step three: moisturise in the evening. Hydrated skin holds the colour you built.

The worry people have is that the sunscreen will block the tan. It does not. Sunscreen reduces UV rather than eliminating it, and you tan through it, more slowly and on skin that has not burned, which is the skin that holds a tan longest.

Two products, each doing its own job. Protected and golden is not a compromise. It is just the order you put them on.

Part four

What to buy

Any Delux accelerator for layer one. Island Coconut was built for exactly this holiday routine and sits comfortably under sunscreen; Sun Sauce if you prefer a light jelly in the heat. For layer two, any broad-spectrum sunscreen you will actually reapply. That last clause is the important one.

Quick answers

Frequently asked

Does Delux make a tan accelerator with SPF?
No, deliberately. Sunscreen needs generous, repeated application; an accelerator is applied once and absorbed. We would rather you did both properly than one badly.
Do I put tan accelerator on before or after sunscreen?
Accelerator first, on clean dry skin, then sunscreen over the top. Reapply the sunscreen through the day, not the accelerator.
Will sunscreen stop my accelerator working?
No. The accelerator has absorbed before the sunscreen goes on, and enough UV passes through sunscreen for your skin to build colour.
Can I use a tan accelerator with SPF on a sunbed?
There is no point: sunbed sessions are timed and controlled, and sunscreen is not designed for them. Use a plain water-based accelerator and follow the salon's times.

Protected and golden.

Island Coconut under your sunscreen. Colour that builds on skin that never burned.

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