Tanning Culture Around the World

For many decades, skin tanning has gone through cycles of popularity and backlash around the world. Different cultural, education and social backgrounds all contribute to an individual’s view on tanning, but we can see an obvious trend of the differing attitudes towards tanning based heavily on cultural influence.

An ABC News study revealed that American and European cultures rate tanned faces as more attractive than those with a paler complexion. This trend has definitely lead to a wider use of tanning beds and tanning products than other cultures.

The tanning culture had already been a part of the Australian culture since the 1950s. Despite having a similar preference for darker skin tones, have a stronger preference for indoor fake tanning rather than dangerous tanning beds. Cultures such as India and China however, favour paler skin.

Although Western cultures have taken a liking to tanned skin, the dangers of indoor tanning beds and excessive sun tanning have soon surfaced. Fake tanning has since become widely popular as a safer and more controllable alternative to sun tanning and indoor tanning beds.

Despite having some backlash with the questioning of some chemical ingredients in fake tans, it has been proven then Dihydroxyacetone, a widely used cosmestic ingredient for fake tanning products, is completely natural and safe to use.