Golden Rules - Our industry experts reveal the hotest tanning trends for the year ahead and how you can work them into your treatment menu

JAMES READ is a leading spray tanner whose celebrity clients include model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, singer Ellie Goulding and actress Lily James. He also has his own product line, which is popular in the Middle East

RUTH O’CONNELL brought the popular TanOrganic brand to the Middle East. Now available at the popular Pastels Salon chain, Ruth is busy spreading awareness of organic brand.

For many clients, tanning is now an essential part of their beauty routine, guaranteed to give that “feel-good” factor. But just like hair, make-up and nails, tanning looks can change seasonally, meaning your treatment menu could fast become out of date. For example, tantouring – the contouring trick that uses self-tan alone to sculpt and define the face – was a major beauty buzzword last year and turned out to be a great “add-on” treatment for salons.

But which looks are set to be big this year? We quizzed two experts about the trends and products shaking up the market, plus the golden rules for working them into your treatment menu.

What will be the top tanning trends this year?

James Read: Tanning is also becoming s omething t hat clients can adapt into their active lifestyles, so lots of quick and easy on-the-go products will emerge, which incorporate seamlessly into people’s regimes. It’s about the “time factor”, with express products coming to the fore. 

Ruth O’Connell: The number-one trend for tanning is organic. A huge number of beauty products in the UAE say that they are organic, but very few are certified organic. Tan Organic is the only professional tanning treatment that is eco-certified by Ecocert.

What looks do you think have fallen out of favour?

Read: Tanning has changed a lot in the past 12 months. Last year, brands were bringing out really dark tans but people are stepping away from that now, wanting a more natural-looking colour. Just look at celebrities, it’s less about looking tanned and more about looking glowing.

O’Connell: The “fake tan look” is gone. Nobody wants to look like they have just had a spray tan; it’s exaggerated and over done. When you wear fake tan nobody should know. It should be just a shade darker than your natural self. The natural golden sun-kissed look is very now. Everywhere you look in the beauty world, whether it be make-up or tanning, it is all about having that beautiful glow. Fresh skin that is natural and glowing is key for 2017.

Do you notice differences in tanning trends regionally?

O’Connell: I think the market for tanning in the Middle East and the UAE is only just beginning. A lot of salons are becoming aware of the huge and growing market for selftanning and spray tanning products. Consumers are so much more aware of the damage the sun does to your skin but still want that golden glow so the best and safest way to achieve this is with the help of self tan or a spray tan. TanOrganic has two shades of tan in the range a lighter one called Caramel and a darker one for the more olive skin tones called Chocolate.

What innovations are launching that will shake up the market?

Read: Wash-off tans that give that glossy reflectiveness to the skin will be popular as the luxe skin trend takes off, but products containing coconut balm will also launch. Consumers were using it for everything last year – hair, skin, cooking – and it’s these kind of ingredients that’ll help change consumer perceptions of tanning. In March, I launched Melting Coconut Tanning Balm – a gradual tan that sits in the fridge as a solid but melts as soon as you put it on your skin, leaving a finish that’s reflective but also hydrating thanks to the raw coconut. I’ve used a special oil-based DHA in the formula instead of water-based DHAs because they caused the coconut balm to break when mixed with it.

O’Connell: “ Silk” by TanOrganic, soon to be launched here in the UAE, is a luxurious body treatment that will leave your skin tanned and feeling like silk at the same time. It has zero transfer as it goes onto the skin translucent and will leave no residue on clothes or sheets. It is a pure hydration treatment for the skin and it is also a dry oil so will not leave an oily residue on the skin. It will be absorbed immediately, giving the most beautiful natural tan. TanOrganic has also just launched a new selftan mousse, with easy application and that lovely light feeling of a mousse. It is suitable for all skin tones.

How can salon owners use these trends to their advantage?

Read: It’s about making tanning more of an experience than a necessity. People always want a perfect-looking tan on their face but it’s the place on the body where colour tends to fade first. That’s why I’m launching a tanning facial to the market this year – the James Read Self-Tan Facial. All products used in the 60-minute treatment will be designed around prepping the skin for tan, so an exfoliant peel to remove dead skin and old fake tan, a cooling mask to close open pores, facial massage to encourage relaxation and a customised tan with SPF to give instant colour. With tanning, you need to think outside of the box.

O’Connell: A large number of salons offer Moroccan baths and full-body exfoliation treatments and a self-tan could be a really great add-on to this, as the skin is exfoliated and perfectly primed for a tan. The Silk oil professional product can be massaged onto the skin as a hydrating treatment, which will give the client a beautiful tan. There is no need to wash the tan off, and the client can dress immediately with a promise of zero transfer onto clothes.