There are three basic types of tanning lotions.
The most common are accelerators and bronzers but for more advanced tanners who like to try new products there are also some lotions known as tingle lotions.
The purpose of any type of lotion is to improve the results of the tanning sessions.
Accelerators are the most common of tanning lotions.
While it can contain other ingredients such as mineral oils and amino acids to help speed up the tanning process the most universal ingredient is the moisturizing content of the lotion.
This keeps the skin moist which is known to improve melanin production which is what tanning is all about.
For more advanced users, tingle lotions offer another way to improve the skin's ability to produce melanin.
Although it is not a guarantee that there is any improvement, this type of lotion increases the blood flow to the surface of the skin which is believed to help.
Some people might experience a swelling or irritation of the skin which is why we only recommend it for people who know what they are doing.
Then we have the bronzer which is simply a formula used to add color to the skin immediately.
The color is a fake tan of course but the instant results allows some beginners to appear more tan than they already are if they are self conscious about being too pale.
The functional purpose of a bronzer is that the increased coloration of the skin absorbs light and distributes it differently than if the skin did not have anything on it.
This helps the even out the result of the tan.