The Interest in Sunless Tanning: Why Americans Want to be Tan

The influx of self-tanning and sunless products, as opposed to the natural suntan and the indoor tanning beds popular before that were proven to cause skin cancer, shows how Americans love to have a tan at any time of the year—especially for those who don't live by the beach. From popular celebrities to college students and yuppies you meet on the streets, you can see many Americans sporting a tanned complexion, which demonstrates the strength of sunless tanning and self-tanning products in the market.

Why is this so? This has been speculated on, not only by sunless tanning companies and experts, but by psychologists and sociologists as consumers' clamor for self-tanning and sunless tanning products, like sunless tanning lotion and self-tanning anti-aging creams. Much thought and supposition surrounds the reason why Caucasians want to be tan as this denotes the importance given to physical appearance.

Aside from looking healthy, in contrast to the pasty white complexion of most Caucasians, sporting a tan also hides skin imperfections and blemishes that stand out against the backdrop of a pale complexion. Being tan also symbolizes youth as it is an indication that one is active and athletic. Plus, tanning helps control the skin's excess oil, which makes the skin appear smooth and youthful. This is also one of the reasons why self-tanning products claim to have both sunless tanning and anti-aging effects. In a society where looking good is important, it is not surprising that sunless tanning and self-tanning products have become such a hit among consumers.

Experts rationalize people's desire to become tan and their interest in sunless tanning through their need to become physically attractive in order to attract possible mates. Physical attraction is a natural biological reaction and people are generally more attracted to healthy looking individuals because people have the subconscious thought to procreate and produce healthy offspring. In short, people buy sunless tanning products because they want to look healthy and beautiful to become more attractive to the opposite sex. It might seem silly and you might deny this, but this has been found to be an accurate explanation as to why there is a huge market for sunless tanning and self-tanning products.

Couple this with the fact that Americans live in a fast-paced world wherein time is of the essence and health is given much importance and you can understand more why self-tanning has become so popular. Truly, many Americans don't have the luxury of going to the beach every weekend to get a tan. What's more, the possible health risks of going to indoor tanning salons have been made public and people certainly don't want to develop skin cancer. Thus, sunless tanning and self-tanning techniques have become the more sought after ways of getting a tan.