Stiftung Warentest
Summer complexion or Dalmatian look? Why the test winner is not worth it for self-tanners
Self-tanner should always be applied in circular movements – otherwise the skin will quickly become adorned with a pattern of spots. (icon picture)
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With self-tanners, you can easily wipe winter off your skin and create a beautiful summery complexion – in theory. In practice, the results are often not so sexy. Stiftung Warentest has checked which products are worth buying.
Long winters and little sun can turn people into vampire lookalikes. But who has the time and money to spend weeks under the Andalusian sun for a healthy complexion, not to mention damaging UV radiation. The summery complexion has therefore been available in drugstores for some time. The holiday illusion can be creamed, wiped or sprayed onto the skin for little money. But which self-tanner really provides an even tan and which one more for a spotty Dalmatian look? 20 women and 20 men voted for that Stiftung Warentest made the check.
streaky. Blotchy. ugly. Poor or poorly applied self-tanner can create questionable patterns on the skin. For the most even result possible, legs should be shaved and peeled before application.
Even tan for one euro
A solid choice are many of the classic cream self-tanning products. Applied in circular movements, milk, lotion and gel often tan well and cheaply too. Price-performance winner is the Sundance self-tanning milk from dm (grade 2.4; 0.98 euros). You can safely leave the two worst lotions in the test on the shelf. The tanner from Rituals (14 euros) and the natural cosmetic product Alterra from Rossmann (2 euros), both rated Stiftung Warentest as “sufficient”.
Mousse products tan best. Five out of six in the test were “good”. The test winner is St. Tropez (2.0). However, the fake tan is not a bargain: 23 euros are due for 100 milliliters. The purchase is not really worth it. Because the mousse tans best, but the cheaper competition is only a Mü worse. “Good” mousse self-tanners are available for as little as five euros, such as that from St. Moritz Professional (2.1).
Self-tanner: Sprays and wipes are pretty much nothing
According to Stiftung Warentest, spray tanning is less recommended. Aerosol sprays perform modestly in the test. All three products provided only a “satisfactory” result. And the tanning towels are not the first choice of the testers either. On the one hand, this is due to the packaging waste and, on the other hand, to the result. Only one of three towels was convincing. For Warentest, this is a product that should only be used in exceptional cases, for example when travelling.
You can read the entire test for a fee test.de