Before you begin your tanning adventure, make sure you know the photo-type of your skin to ensure you’re getting a great tan while caring for the condition of your skin, in the safest and most optimum way.
What’s all the fuss about when it comes to phototype? As it turns out, it’s the skin phototype that determines the amount of time you can spend tanning to obtain a safe tan. The phototype indicates the skin’s ability to develop a tan, and thus determines what results you can expect, especially during the first tanning sessions.
Phototype I – Celtic
Skin: pale, almost white complexion, numerous freckles on the face and body Hair: very light blond or red hair Eyes: light blue, transparent or a shade of green
People with white or very light complexion, covered with freckles, should be very careful when it comes to tanning. The reason for that is that their skin either lacks or contains a very limited amount of melanin pigment. We do not recommend tanning for people with this complexion, whether it’s in a tanning salon or in the open sun, as it is a difficult process for this phototype, and frequently results in severe skin burns. Instead, we recommend using high SPF factors and not exposing the skin to UV rays.
Phototype II – Northern European
Skin: fair complexion, with some freckles Hair: light and dark blonde, dark red Eyes: blue, green, gray
People with fair complexion, often with some freckles, should limit their exposure time to UV radiation. Even a small dose of UV radiation may cause redness of the skin, while spending more time exposed to it results in skin burns. Therefore, we recommend careful use of tanning salons, with the first session not exceeding 3-4 minutes, taking into account that tanning time should be inversely proportional to the strength of the device, i.e. the more powerful the lamps, the shorter the tanning session should be, and vice versa. For this complexion type, we recommend using tanning accelerators, gentle bronzers and regenerating after-sun lotions.
Phototype III – Central European
Skin: olive, brown complexion, with some freckles Hair: dark blond or brown Eyes: hazel, brown, gray or blue
People with an olive or brown complexion typically tan quickly. They can use tanning salons without any major restrictions – although their first session should not exceed 5 minutes. Those lucky ones having this phototype can easily use all types of tanning products, including tanning accelerators, bronzers as well as tingle and thermo products that warm the skin and deepen the tan. We also recommend after-sun skin care products to ensure your skin is properly taken care of with the right cosmetics.
Phototype IV – Southern European
Skin: dark complexion, with some moles present Hair: very dark blond, brown, black Eyes: dark brown and black
People with a brown and dark complexion can use tanning salons without any restrictions! The only risk they face is that their skin may become too dry, which in turn may cause its premature aging. We therefore highly recommend the use of professional after-sun products. They have a rich composition to ensure a powerful moisturizing effect, perfect conditioning as well as prolonging the tanning results.
And finally, check out our selection of tanning products that’s right for you in each of the following categories:
ACCELERATORS For people who have either never been to a tanning salon or have not used one for several months, or those who do not like to use bronzers.
BRONZERS For people who tan fairly regularly and maintain a medium skin tan.
STRONG BRONZERS For people who tan regularly and maintain a dark tan.
WARMING Well-tanned people, who regularly use tanning salons, wanting to cross their individual tanning boundaries.
AFTER-SUN For all people, those using tanning salons and those sunbathing.