Tanning: What Products Do You Really Need?

October 28, 2025

2 min read

The sun is our friend, but it also can be dangerous. To minimize the risks, it is important how to protect the skin when in the sun.

Key takeaways

The sun is our friend, but it also can be dangerous.
Sunscreen
Tanning solutions

Who this is for

People exploring Skin, nails, hair through suntan, skin.

Why it matters

This piece helps you get oriented quickly, then move into a collection or series if you want to keep going.

Article author

Dr. Anastasia

dermatologist

Sunscreen

This term covers all SPF products. The strongest SPF level is 100. This is a measure of protection against type B rays, which indicates how long we can stay in the sun before getting sunburned skin.

For example, if you get sunburned in 10 minutes without any protection, and you apply a product with a protection factor of 50, your relatively safe stay in the sun will increase to 500 minutes.

In northern and middle latitudes it is recommended to use sunscreens with SPF from 15 to 30, and in the south from 30 to 50. For those with pale skin and increased photosensitivity, it is recommended to use 50 or above. Only one SPF product should be used at a time — they cannot be stacked on top of one another.

The degree of protection against A-rays (the most damaging) is marked on bottles with + signs and ranges from + to +++. The more "+", the better.

Generally speaking, creams and lotions are better for dry skin, while sprays and aerosols are better for oily skin. The type of product does not affect the level of protection. For example, an SPF-50 cream and SPF-50 lotion will be equally effective.

Tanning solutions

These are oils that contribute to more even development of pigment and prevent dry skin but do not protect it. It is possible to use them for cosmetic purposes but to be in the sun as little as possible.

Even on a cloudy day, dermatologists recommend skin products with SPF of at least 15 in middle latitudes. But in oils, this factor is usually from 2 to 10, which is very low for protecting the skin. The oil can be used for an even tan if you are in northern latitudes, where sun levels are much lower. On southern beaches, oils are unsafe to use and can result in burns.

After-tanning products

Marketing would lead you to believe that these products will help your skin recover, but in fact, they are moisturizers and lotions with a cooling effect. They do help reduce discomfort if you've been tanning for too long, but the damage from burns will not go away. However, after-tanning creams and other products can come in handy to avoid comedones, peeling, and tightness.

Tanning activators

These are relatively new products. They are usually based on carotene: a form of vitamin A that stimulates the production of melanin pigment. Manufacturers recommend taking such stimulants of sunburn a month before vacation, but their effectiveness has not been clinically proven.

Safety precautions

It is recommended to apply sunscreen 15–20 minutes before exposing yourself to the sun, and to reapply it every two hours, regardless of whether you have swum or not, or whether you have been exposed to the sun or the shade. After a swim, you should use it again, even if it hasn't been two hours.

Use cream generously, and make sure it has not expired.

In addition, doctors strongly recommend not to go into direct sunlight from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — the period of maximum solar activity.

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