More men are loving fake tan

MORE and more men are turning to the bottle. The bottle of fake tan that is. According to Mintel research, from August 2015-September 2016, the usage of self-tan among Britain’s men rose from less than one in 10 (9 per cent) in 2015 to as many as 14 per cent of all Britain’s males in 2016.

Figures showed that young men are the biggest fans of faking it and in 2016 almost three in 10 (27 per cent) of men aged from 16-24 used self-tanning products. This was an increase from 16 per cent in 2015. 

Tanning salons are also proving popular amongst younger men, with 25 per cent of men aged 18-24 having used a tanning salon in 2016 compared with 21 per cent of women of the same aged group.

But it is not just self-tan which is proving popular among the nation’s men. 

Products such as pre-tan accelerator, gradual tanners and oral tanning supplements have also increased.

While self-tan product usage has seen the greatest increase amongst men, Britain’s women remain the most likely to use self-tan. Today, 18 per cent of women use self-tan and 19 per cent use gradual tanner.

Roshida Khanom, Senior Beauty and Personal Care Analyst at Mintel said: “The increase in usage of self-tan is growing rapidly amongst the nation’s men, driven by the popularity of self-tan among high profile celebrities including Mark Wright, Rylan Clark and even Ed Balls. 

“Today’s men are reflecting on their image and responsibilities and how to express their masculinity. With younger men focusing on their appearance more, the self-tanning sector could see a boost.”

Whilst many of us want a healthy glow and the safest way to do this is from self-tan products, the Mintel report also said in 2016 there was an increase in the use of SPF products, protecting against the sun’s harmful rays. 

It also showed adults have a good general knowledge when it comes to regular sun protection, with 52 per cent agreeing that you should reapply sun protection after being in the sun for 30 minutes. 

However, there is a certain lack of understanding about the actual sun care ratings and protecting against UVA and UVB rays.