19 Top Indoor Tanning Lotions You Need Right Now (2024)

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Seasons may come and go, but glowing bronze goddess skin is always in.

The problem is some of us just aren’t born with that gorgeous sunkissed complexion.

Fortunately, for those who need a melanin boost, indoor tanning beds exist to give us a taste of what it feels like to be a bronzed beauty.

And with the top indoor tanning lotion, we can live our best tan — without baking under the sun!

Looking for your ideal indoor tanning lotion? We got you! Check out our top picks for top indoor tanning lotions!

How We Get a Tan

First things first: how does tanning happen?

To understand the process, we first need to know the types of UV rays our skin gets exposed to, including UVA and UVB.

UVA rays get deep into the layers of the skin, where they stimulate melanocytes to produce melanin, the brown pigment that gives us that tan.

Melanin is the body’s defense mechanism against UV radiation, which helps prevent the risk of burning. The darker your natural skin color, the more melanin your skin produces.

Now, what about UVB rays?

Most UVB rays penetrate only the superficial layers of the skin, which means they don’t necessarily help with the tanning process. However, they can trigger sunburn.

We get tan in various ways: natural sunbathing, sunless tanners, or tanning beds or booths. Many prefer indoor tanning to help

If you opt for the latter, you need an indoor tanning lotion.

What Is an Indoor Tanning Lotion?

Unlike self-tanners, an indoor tanning lotion is a product you apply before a tanning bed session.

An indoor tanning lotion serves several different purposes:

• Speeding up the tanning process. Some indoor tanning lotions, such as bronzers, are formulated with a potent blend of ingredients to help speed up the tanning process.

  When applied to the skin, they can stimulate the body to create melanin and prepare the skin to absorb the UV light from a tanning bed better.

• Protecting your skin. An indoor tanning lotion is designed to protect the skin’s natural barrier to minimize the harmful impact of UV rays as you strive to achieve that perfect tan.

• Hydrating your skin. UV rays can do a number on your skin, including drying it out.

  With indoor tanning lotions, you get moisturizing ingredients that lock in moisture and ensure your skin stays hydrated, even as it tans.

• Extending your tan. Indoor tanning lotions don’t just help you achieve a tan. They help you extend the life of your tan too.

  Some lotions can even reportedly help you keep your color for weeks!

Types of Indoor Tanning Lotions

To help you achieve the tan you want, indoor tanning lotions work with tanning beds. And there are several types of them.

Bronzers

Bronzers are products that add an instant dark color to your skin.

They come in two primary forms: instant and gradual. Instant bronzers work immediately, while gradual bronzers darken the skin over time.

Bronzers can be either natural or DHA. Natural bronzers feature herbal extracts with ingredients such as caramel and riboflavin to help provide a deeper, darker color to the skin.

On the other hand, DHA bronzers contain dihydroxyacetone, which reacts with the amino acids in your skin to create that beautiful brown color. These bronzers are very popular for their ability to create a fake tan.

In addition, bronzers can also have ingredients that can firm, tone, hydrate, and nourish the skin, which all help build an excellent tan base.

Accelerators/Intensifiers/Maximizers

These tanning lotions vary in intensity, but they’re all designed to help the skin produce, reinforce, or optimize a base tan.

These products usually contain tyrosine, an amino acid that triggers the series of chemical reactions responsible for creating melanin in the body.

Additionally, many accelerators, intensifiers, and maximizers contain bronzers.

Tingle Lotions

As their name suggests, tingle lotions create a tingling sensation due to ingredients that increase blood flow to the skin through ingredients like methyl nicotinate and benzyl nicotinate.

These ingredients are what set tingle lotions apart from other indoor tanning lotions.

Some tingle lotions contain bronzers, accelerators, intensifiers, and maximizers, but these other types cannot be classified as tingle lotions without either of the two ingredients.

According to a 2017 study, increased blood flow to certain areas of the skin is correlated with increased hyperpigmentation. As such, melanin production may be boosted by applying products that excite blood vessels in the skin.

Tingle lotions can take some getting used to. Some are mild, while others can be outright uncomfortable.

Beginners or people with sensitive skin are advised to avoid these lotions.

19 of the Top Indoor Tanning Lotion Products

Ready to find the top tanning lotion for your needs?

Here are 19 products to consider.

Formulated with a proprietary blend that stimulates and synthesizes the formulation of melanin and tyrosine, this indoor tanning lotion has users raving about its ability to deliver a dark tan in just one session!

It also adjusts to your skin tone, preserves tattoo colors, protects against fading, and helps reduce the appearance of cellulite to ensure an even, beautiful tan.

Formulated with henna, caramel, and beta carotene, this lotion gives skin that quick sunkissed glow without compromising the skin’s sensitivity.

As an accelerator, it’s gentler on the skin and helps provide a nice flush for a base tan as opposed to a super dark, orange base, which is why it’s the top indoor tanning lotion for fair skin.

It also contains skin-loving ingredients such as aloe vera and tea tree oil to protect the skin as it tans, helping facilitate its natural pigmentation process.

Another indoor bronzer tanning lotion, this Solid Black lotion from Millennium promises to help you get golden skin in as short as one hour!

Advanced darkening technology that leverages L-tyrosine and silicone helps provide gorgeous and even tanning.

Hydrating ingredients, essential oils, and fruit extracts ensure skin stays hydrated.

An excellent tanning lotion for indoor beds because of its quick-dry, hydrating formula, Devoted Creations’ Woke Up Like This lotion is infused with natural bronzers and DHA to deliver effective tanning for all skin tones.

It’s also a CC cream and contains skin pigment correctors and antioxidants to ensure a flawless base that doesn’t streak or look unnatural.

Formulated with high levels of DHA, The Sicilian’s 200x Black Bronzer lives up to its name and delivers a deep, dark tan that lasts weeks after your tanning session.

It also contains moisturizing ingredients from essential oils and plant extracts to protect your skin as you tan and ensure you leave the salon with soft, nourished, and glowing skin!

This 50x-strength dark indoor tanning lotion from Millennium Tanning is recommended for a noticeable tan after just one application.

Its formula is infused with tan accelerators, which makes it an excellent option for those who are new to tanning but still want results that last for a long time.

And it contains skin-nourishing ingredients such as a silicone emulsion to protect and hydrate the skin during the session.

That’s What Sea Said is another bronzer-free tanning lotion that works for both tanning beds and outdoor tanning (with sunscreen!)

It features a tyrosine-rich formulation to help speed up melanin production and ensure a great, long-lasting tan.

The creamy lotion also has moisturizers and anti-aging botanical extracts to prep, protect, and nourish the skin for a healthy-looking tan.

Considered the top indoor bronzing tanning lotion for experienced tanners, This tingle lotion contains tinglers, moisturizers, and DHA to yield immediate, darker results.

Designer Skin’s Bombshell produces an intense tingling sensation through bronzers like DHA, which helps speed up the oxygenation of your skin cells to stimulate faster tanning.

It also contains white tea extract and CoQ-10 to rejuvenate the skin, prep it for better tanning results, and give you a nice, juicy glow.

Are you looking for an indoor tanning lotion for a specific body part?

If you need a leg tanning lotion, this dark leg bronzer is the answer. It’s effective at speeding up the tanning effect with tyrosine and its special advanced technology formula.

And it has skin firmers and moisturizers to improve tone and texture, completing that radiant, bronzed glow.

Get sun-kissed skin that doesn’t compromise your tattoos with Black Coconut Tattoo Tanning Lotion from Tanning Paradise’s tattoo and color fade protection properties.

The lotion features tanning activators that stimulate and speed up melanin production for fast, successful tanning at the salon.

It also helps tighten and moisturize skin while reducing the appearance of cellulite to give you that perfect sculpted base.

If you need the yop indoor tanning lotion for sensitive skin, try this hypoallergenic maximizer from Hempz. It uses natural tan enhancers to prepare your skin for the best results from your tanning session.

This all-natural indoor tanning lotion features hemp seed oil, which strengthens the skin’s natural barrier so it stays protected during the session.

It also has oatmeal and mango seed butter for nourishment, hydrating the skin, and locking in that beautiful glow.

Another fantastic tanning lotion for indoor tanning is this Ed Hardy product, which features a powerful blend of tan enhancers, bronzers, and tinglers.

These all work together to stimulate melanin production and boost the skin’s darker pigmentation after the tanning session.

Additionally, it helps ensure your tan stays in place with its inclusion of silicone. It’s also formulated to protect tattoos and reduce color fading.

Among the top budget-friendly tanning lotions for tanning beds, the Snooki Get Real tanning lotion by Supre leverages the brand’s HyperDark Tanning technology.

Its infusion of tyrosine and other ingredients helps prepare your skin to achieve the best results during your tanning session.

And you don’t need to worry about leaving your skin vulnerable and dry. This lotion also contains moisturizers and firmers to ensure soft skin and an even, glowing tan.

This powerful tanning lotion boasts natural, cosmetic, and DHA bronzers for an intense color.

This 200x-strength product is guaranteed to make your indoor tanning session truly productive and give you a gorgeous brown color.

Additionally, it contains a skin-loving infusion of black charcoal, Hawaiian butter, botanical extracts, and fruits to give your skin that extra glowy oomph.

Adding to our list of the top indoor tanning lotions is this 200x-strength bronzer from Brown Sugar.

This product is a DHA-free formulation that uses artisan-crafted bronzers to help you achieve your darkest tan.

It also features nourishing extracts such as argan, a triple coconut cocktail, and silicone to ensure your skin is hydrated while tanning.

This tanning lotion from Designer Skin leverages a potent mix of cosmetic and natural bronzers to ensure fast and effective tanning.

Many users of this product have claimed to see results in just one session, which is great if you want a quick tan in a pinch.

It also ensures that your skin gets that flawless, even finish with its microbiome balancer, silicone, and Real Reflection Complex.

The highly-rated indoor tanning bronzing lotion Somewhere on a Beach by Devoted Creations uses tan enhancers and bronzers (without DHAs) to add a delicious brown color to your skin.

It is formulated with skin-enhancing ingredients such as Matrixyl Synthe 6 (an anti-aging peptide), sea buckthorn berry (for protection from free radicals), and coconut and walnut oils (for hydration).

The result is a flawless finish that’s made even better with the product’s BB cream infusion.

Somewhere on the Beach is another good option if you’re looking for the top indoor tanning lotion under $15 that does not contain bronzers or skin-darkening ingredients.

This tanning intensifier is formulated with their signature Biosine Complex, which helps stimulate the skin for dark color development.

It also ensures optimal hydration and nourishment with tea tree oil, vitamin E, and aloe vera to keep your skin at its best for successful, smooth tanning.

Another tanning lotion for indoor tanning beds from Designer Skin is rounding up our list. This lotion is specially formulated for men.

It uses DHA and natural bronzers to deliver a fast, lasting, and beautiful tan both off a tanning bed and under the sun (with sunscreen!)

Also, it contains silicone, licorice, and green tea extract to keep the skin moisturized while preserving the color integrity of your tattoos.

Safety Considerations When Using Indoor Tanning Lotions

Now that you know some of the best indoor tanning lotions to try, it’s also important to remember that indoor tanning carries potentially serious risks for developing certain types of cancer.

As such, when doing indoor tanning, make sure to keep some safety considerations in mind:

• Never use indoor tanning lotions outside the tanning salon, as most do not have SPF and cannot be safely used under the sun. The exception is if the lotion is additionally formulated for outside use.

  But even then, it’s still better to use these lotions in tandem with a good sunscreen.

• Know your specific skin type. Some lotions are very potent, which might trigger reactions even in people who do not have sensitive skin. Knowing what your skin can and cannot tolerate is vital to safe, successful indoor tanning.

  If you are just starting indoor tanning, you should start with the milder indoor tanning lotions and work your way up just to be sure.

• Do not tan when using certain medications. Tanning must be avoided if you’re on medications that can lower your body’s ability to handle UV light.

  These include some antibiotics, blood pressure medication, analgesics, antidepressants, antimalarials, and psoralens. It’s best to ask your doctor to be sure if you are unsure.

FAQs

How Often Can You Use an Indoor Tanning Lotion?

It depends on the specific type of lotion that you’re using. Some tanning lotions can be applied every few weeks, while others require a longer time between sessions.

Always read product labels carefully to ensure you get the best results and stay safe.

Can You Shower After Using an Indoor Tanning Lotion?

Experts recommend waiting a few hours before you shower after using a tanning lotion.

Sometimes, you might want to wait longer to ensure the tan doesn’t wear off, especially if you’re using bronzers.

Choosing the Top Indoor Tanning Lotion

If you are a fan of indoor tanning, then indoor tanning lotions are integral to the safety and success of your tanning salon session.

These products, after all, can help speed up and extend tanning while also nourishing and protecting your skin from UV rays.

Some indoor tanning lotions are formulated with bronzers for an instant or gradual pop of dark color, while others are more suited to those looking to build, reinforce, or maximize a base tan.

There are several good choices for indoor tanning lotions, ensuring consumers a broad range of products from organic to cosmetic and in a wide range of prices.

When choosing your tanning lotion, consider your specific tanning experience, as some lotions are unsuitable for beginners or those with sensitive skin.

Also, consider whether you want a super dark tan or one that gives you a subtle sun-kissed glow, as formulations have varying strengths.

So check out our top picks and see which one safely works for you. With a little research and patience, you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for you!

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