Of course, tanning accentuates your beauty as it brings out the glow in your smooth skin. That’s why tanning has become an integral part of the beauty routine. And people generally have three tanning options – Sun tanning, use of UV lamp, or self tanning. Unfortunately, the first two methods aren’t so safe because they involve the exposure of the skin to UV rays.
According to medical experts, these rays damage the skin slowly and increase the risk of skin cancer. And doesn’t that make self tanning the overall winner? Yes, you’re right. Self tanning is the safest and the best tanning method. Unfortunately, this method has its downsides too. One of them is the offensive smell that trails self tanners.
This smell is caused by a particular must-have ingredient. And the smell differs from user to user. Oh, you seem surprised, aren’t you? You were expecting to hear that the smell differs from product to product? Well, you should be surprised. However, by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll no longer be surprised.
What Does A Fake Tan Smell Like?
First off, you need to understand that a particular compound is responsible for the nasty smell in all self tanners. This compound is known as dihydroxyacetone (DHA). So, the question is, why can’t it be removed to save users from the nasty smell? Sorry buddy, it can’t be removed because it does the tanning.
The compound reacts with the epidermis, the upper layer of the skin, and changes the color of the pigments temporarily. This chemical reaction is what gives off offensive odors. The smell depends on your skin makeup. Some users are so lucky that the application of a self tanner gives off a faint smell that fizzles out within minutes.
Other users are not so lucky. The smell is terrible on them. So, based on our experience, we can tell you that a fake tan has different smells, but the most common ones are:
- A faint burning flesh smell
- Cat pee
- Smell of biscuit
- Stale bread smell
- Smell of an old gym sock
Don’t forget that the smell reduces tremendously when you take your no-soap shower, and it vanishes completely when you take your shower with soap or shower gel. So, all it takes is a little patience.
Does A Fake Tan Smell Like Biscuits?
The answer to this question is “it depends.” It depends on the skin type of the user. Of course, it sometimes smells like a biscuit when applied to certain skin, and it comes up with other smells when applied to other skin types.
What matters is that there’s an effective workaround for the smell. And we will walk you through it all here in this article. Once again, yes, fake tans sometimes smell like biscuits.
How Do You Keep A Fake Tan From Smelling?
There Are Several Ways To Mitigate The Smell Of Your Fake Tan. Here Are Some Of Them.
1. Buy Any Of The Latest Self Tanners
Self tanners now have an ingredient that reduces or eliminates the smell. So, we will advise you to purchase one of them. We have reviewed ten tanners that do not give off any offensive odor, and we have listed them below. You can pick any of them.
In the alternative, you can do your own research. Before purchasing any self tanner, make sure you read its reviews. Users will confirm that it does not give off any smell if it doesn’t.
2. Mix It With A Scented Lotion
Some people prefer to mix their tanning drops with their lotion. You could also do this. The scent of the lotion will help to reduce the offensive smell of the tanner.
3. Spray A Powerful Cologne
It might be a good idea to spray a powerful cologne on your tanned skin and around your body. The fragrance of the cologne will surely cover the smell of the self tanner. You’ll be the only person that may still be perceiving the odor of your tanner under the attractive smell of your cologne.
4. Bath With A Scented Gel
You might be tempted to rush to have your shower with a strongly-scented soap or gel, but this is not the best thing to do. If your tanner has not developed fully, it may get lighter and begin to fade from that point. So, no matter how badly your self tanner smells, try to wait for about 24 to 48 hours for full development before you use a scented gel in your shower.
Maybe you should set aside a day or two that you won’t go out for anything. Apply your self tanner on the first of the two earmarked days. By the time you start going out after 48 hours, the tanner would have developed fully, and you could take soap or gel-based bath.
5. Apply A Mixture Of Baby Powder And Baking Soda
Baby powder and baking soda are known for their ability to absorb odors, and their mixture is real synergy. The mixture will absorb the smell so well. We tried it and found it to be true. That’s why we are telling you about it. You have to sandwich the mixture with your self tanner.
Mix some baking soda with some baby powder and put the mixture aside. Apply the first layer of tanner to your body. After that, you can rub the baking soda mixture on your body before you apply another coat of self tanner to cover it up. You’ll hardly perceive any smell till you’re able to take a proper bath.
What Fake Tan Has No Smell?
There are several fake tanners that do not produce the typical offensive smell that self tanners are known for. We have come across many of them, and we have even reviewed some of them. So, for your information, the self tanners listed below do not give off any offensive odor.
- Self Tanner Oil for Face
- Bronze Tan Ultra Dark Self Tanner Oil
- Bondi Sands Liquid Gold Self Tanning Dry Oil
- Josie Maran Argan Liquid Gold Self Tanning Oil
- COOLA Organic Sunless Tan, Body Dry Oil
- Body Drench Quick Tan Sunless Self Tanner Oil
- My Skin’s Friend – Self Tanner, Sunless Tanning Oil
- Paradise Self Tanning Drops
- TanOrganic Self-Tan Oil and Moisturizer
- MODELCO Self Tanner Dry Body Oil
What Self Tanner Smells The Best?
This question cannot get a direct answer because so many self tanners have great smells, but it is difficult to single out one of them as having the best smell. Smells and fragrances are subjects of people’s different preferences. Some people prefer certain smells to others.
For instance, to you, the smell of tanner A might be better than the smell of tanner B, while your friend might prefer the smell of tanner B to that of tanner A. So, it is difficult to single out a particular self tanner as the best. Nevertheless, we’ll mention great brands that you can look for.
Here are some of the brands known for having great smells:
- Bondi Sands
- Isle of Paradise
- Tan-Luxe
- Clarins
- St Tropez
- Bali Body
- Loving Tan
Although there are many more brands of tanners with great fragrances, you can make a choice among these ones.
How Do You Get A Fake Tan Smell Out Of A Room?
We believe that prevention is always better, cheaper, and smarter than cure. So, it is better to avoid the smell of your self tanner from spreading all over your room by self tanning in a spray tan tent. That way, the odor will remain within the walls of the tent.
After application, you can easily take the tent outside and open it up until the smell fizzles out. Furthermore, here are some other effective tips below.
- Wipe all the walls and floor of your room with soap and water solution. A scented soap is preferable for this purpose.
- Sprinkle some baking soda on the floor. Leave it there for about 2 days before you vacuum the floor.
- You can also spray some Febreze all over the room.
Why Do I Smell After Tanning?
Actually, you’re not the one that is smelling. Your skin’s chemical reaction with the DHA is what is actually smelling. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it because DHA is what colors the pigments of your skin. However, there are newer self tanners that do not give off any offensive smell. In fact, some of them have mesmerizing fragrance. You can go for any of them.
Final Thoughts
To answer the question – What does a fake tan smell like? We’ll say it smells like biscuit, cat pee, burning flesh, stale bread, or an old gym sock. And we’re also glad to remind you that many new self tanners no longer give off such smells. Furthermore, you can tackle the smell with the tips given above.
