As tanning becomes a beauty staple for clients of all ages, now is the perfect time to update your treatment menu. The UK’s leading tanners tell AMANDA PAULEY about this year’s top tanning trends and how to convert them into sales for your business

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The tanning experts

James Harknett has a tanning residency at the Away Spa at W Hotel in London and is global creative consultant for Fake Bake. His celebrity clients include TV presenter Emma Willis and model David Gandy.

Jules Heptonstall is a session tan expert. His celebrity clients include actress Sienna Miller and model Kate Moss. He is also co-founder and creative director of organic tanning brand Isle of Paradise.

Carly Hobbs is a leading spray tanner and oficial ambassador for professional brand Sienna X. Her celebrity clients include actress Lindsay Lohan and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman.

Gary Lipman is chairman of The Sunbed Association, board member of The Beauty Companies Association and director of The JK Group UK, a subsidiary of German company JK, which manufactures Ergoline.

There’s no denying that tanning is big business and a sector that’s reporting amazingly strong growth year on year – the number of tanning salon chain sites in the top 50 UK towns grew by 2.38% in the year to January 2018, according to statistics from analyst The Local Data Company.

Now an essential part of clients’ lives, tanning is not just a nice treatment but a must-have, with customers wanting the most bespoke level of colour personalisation from their tanner. Meeting this service expectation can be hard, which is why your treatment menu needs to evolve yearly.

Staying ahead of the latest trends is the only way you’ll stay fresh and current. So, forget about the hot looks of 2018 – tantouring, layering and strobing, this year is all about achieving the most natural faux glow and adding wellness elements to your sessions. Our experts give you the lowdown…

What will be the top spray tanning trends this year?

Jules Heptonstall: Clients are over having a guide colour in their tan, so translucent solutions will be the way forward, resulting in no stained sheets. As professionals, it means taking more care when choosing formulations and realising that the perfect inish is all in the buff– on the wrists, heels and knuckles. Also, self-tanning waters aren’t going anywhere, so expect to see an inlux of new formats both in retail and professional.

James Harknett: The trend of consumers wanting a tan that complements their skin tone will develop even further, making depth of colour for clients a no-nonsense dilemma. Finding a tan that works with the client’s individual undertone is the way forward. For example, if their skin is slightly yellow, avoid using a solution with a red undertone because it will create an orange look.

Heptonstall: My clients are also asking for extra touches in their treatment, especially those that aid wellness. I’ve started using crystals and offering mini tarot card readings during a spray tanning session and I cleanse the room pre-treatment using sage and palo santo. I believe a tan should be liberating and as a complete optimist I want my clients to leave having ofloaded negative energy.

What developments can we expect in the sunbed arena?

Gary Lipman: Technology in performance and features is always advancing from the top manufacturers and as with all retail environments, indoor tanning nowadays is as much about the experience when tanning on a sunbed as it is about the quality of the end result. This will range from bespoke tanning programmes for each individual customer, music choices, comfort features, and a selection of light options in the session for different skins.

However, we’re also expecting to see a signiicant uptake by trading standards and licensing oficers around the UK to ensure sunbeds are compliant with the UV output standard known as 0.3W/m, introduced to minimise any potential for burning. Essentially it means the output of a compliant sunbed has the same UV intensity minute for minute as the Mediterranean summer sun.

Which spray tanning look do you think has fallen out of favour?

Carly Hobbs: No one wants to look too “done”, which is why the super-dense glow has well and truly fallen offthe radar. Clients want a tan that looks as natural as possible, with tone and colour designed to enhance their individuality. It’s about bespoke selection.

Harknett: Yes, the days of a thick, matte, deep-brown face are over. This look can have a good end result if the client has olive skin or tans well in the sun, but for paler skin tones it’s not authentic and is a fake giveaway.

Have you noticed regional differences in what clients want?

Harknett: For years, I’ve noticed a larger club culture up North and for them it’s all about the glam tan. I see and love this when I travel to Liverpool and Glasgow. However, the biggest change I’ve experienced is the amount of men coming in for a professional glow – it’s now half of my business. This shift is exciting, as many guys used to see spray tanning as a treatment just for women. I think the Love Island culture has had a lot to do with this change.

Hobbs: Up North, I’m mainly tanning gents as well because they want to enhance their handiwork in the gym and are inally learning that they can get a conidence boost from spray tanning. Down South, I’m inding women are asking for a “secret tan”, so they’re requesting a professional misting that allows them to look like they’ve popped to Ibiza for the weekend and picked up a light, sun-kissed touch.

What product innovations are set to shake up the tanning market?

Heptonstall: In all my years working as a spray tanner backstage in TV, ilm and music, I’ve never used a tanning primer. I would prime skin before make-up application, so I wondered why didn’t I do this with tan? So I’ve created a self-tan primer you spray onto the skin before a spray tan. It lowers the skin’s pH, resulting in a reduction in the tan smell and a noticeably deeper and longer-lasting colour.

Harknett: Launching from Fake Bake this spring is a foaming tan remover and eraser that contains natural ingredients and no aggressive oils or additives that could be drying to the skin. It fades away older tan or build up and it’s good for clients who want weekly application but like to start from scratch on a fresh base.

Lipman: Educating consumers about the need to ensure their skin is properly hydrated and moisturised after UV tanning for maximum results is always top of the agenda. Advancements in the science and range of ingredients being used in tanning lotions means it’s more important than ever that staffunderstand the beneits of the individual products so they can provide an informed and appropriate recommendation to clients.

How can salon owners use these trends to boost their tanning business?

Harknett: Take advantage of the growing desire for tanning among male clients – it’s a booming market. Think outside the box and create appealing packages that combine a spray tan with either a pre-tan scrub or other men’s treatments like waxing and brow shaping.

Hobbs: Shout about what you do by showing offyour natural, luxe-looking tans. Tan your staffand share images on social media, as well as encouraging clients to check in and tag their own glows. There’s still some misconception that spray tans look fake, which just isn’t true.

Heptonstall: Trust your gut when making changes. For example, if you want to explore your craft by adding extra touches to boost your client base then go for it. Long gone are the days of stinky, orange spray tans with no additional or spiritual treatments thrown in; it’s time to get extra.

How can the industry do more this year to raise consumer awareness about safe UV tanning?

Lipman: There are plenty of myths in the public domain about UV tanning. Tanning by those who are able to tan is a safe and natural process; it’s burning that must always be avoided – whether in the sunshine or on a sunbed. That is the key message that all consumers need to understand and that every professional sunbed operator will communicate. Customer screening ensures anyone with contraindications to tanning is not allowed to use a sunbed and, where appropriate, can be directed to a sunless tanning option.