Preservatives are the ingredients that protect spray tanning solution or any cosmetic product from the growth of the microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and molds. A preservative also helps the product to protect itself against damage and degradation caused by exposure to oxygen. Without preservatives, cosmetic products can become contaminated, leading to product spoilage and if used on the skin possibly cause irritation or infections. Microbial contamination of products can cause significant problems.

Most people probably appreciate that it is an essential requirement for manufacturers to sell safe products that are hygienic when used according to the instructions and that the product retains its integrity during the required shelf life of the product.

Before we go further, one important things you should know that most spray tanning products and lotions and creams contains water (aqua) as one of the main ingredients and  if those products are not properly preserved it will grow microorganism and product will be contaminated right away.

Preservative free products?

When we have a client ask us why the so and so  company says they have preservative free products our only answer that we have is to carefully look at the ingredient list on those products, If they are using water (aqua) as one of their ingredient then their label is incomplete or they are just hiding the truth!

So how about Natural preservative?

Some companies claim that they use certain “natural” ingredients which they claim safely preserve their products. However, whether that is the case or not can only be proven by a microbiologist carrying out a challenge test on the product. A challenge test provides a standard test regime which establishes whether the product is safely preserved under normal conditions of use against the microorganisms that could be harmful to user and product stability. The fact that a particular “natural” ingredient has preservative properties does not necessarily mean that it is sufficient to provide adequate preservation to the finished product during the normal shelf life of the product. At AYU we are constantly looking at any “natural preservative” out in the market and do challange test and few different types of micro testing and we have not found any natural preservative that successfully preserves our products and keeps the products stable or fresh.

How we choose preservative system for our products?

At AYU, we are group of cosmetic chemists and we have considerable experience, a combined 80 years of experience in fact,  with preserving cosmetics, skin care and sunless tanning/spray tanning products. The choice of a suitable preservative depends upon many issues, not the least of which is pH. Other considerations include compatibility with other ingredients in the product, as sometimes these will affect the preservation efficacy and the end result could potentially be an under-preserved product. There are many preservatives available for the cosmetic chemist to use, but not all are suitable or desirable for the type of products that we manufacture. For example, there are preservatives that work by releasing a small amount of formaldehyde in order to kill off any microorganisms.  However, although highly effective as a preservative, there are issues with formaldehyde even in low doses, such as irritation and other health issues. Another family of preservatives are called parabens. Chemically, parabens are esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. These are again highly effective and have had a long history of use in cosmetics. The issue here is that the parabens have received negative publicity whether justified or not and we have chosen not to use them purely for our customer’s peace of mind even though they are deemed safe for use in cosmetic products at the normal levels of usage.

At AYU, we keep abreast of all new ingredients and review very carefully all the safety and technical data applicable to an ingredient being considered for use in our products. Only when we are completely satisfied will we incorporate it into our products.

Do you have any questions regarding preservatives in cosmetics and skin care products or you have different views on preservatives in these products,If so  feel free to leave us a comment.

This may be a strange title for my blog, but this step is really necessary because these areas can become super dark and orange and becomes a tell tail sign of spray tanning.

Most all of us suffer from dry skin around these areas on a regular basis and when you spray tan this becomes a huge problem. This is because these areas will absorb more DHA ( the active ingredient that  gives skin a tan color) and the result is a dark color or orange appearing on the elbows, knees and ankles. I would like to suggest a few tips that you can do every day for smooth, soft elbows, knees and ankles.

1)  Get into the habit of regularly exfoliating these areas with fine grain sugar scrubs. Look for scrubs that are rich in botanicals, oils and butters like Cocoa or Shea Butter. Wet your skin and apply gently in a circular motion. Do not use force because it can scratch or tear the skin then rinse off with warm water. This will help to soften these areas. After doing that apply a rich moisturizer like body butter. This daily 5 minute ritual will help keep these areas soft and hydrated in preparation for your tan.

2) Warm baths with some good bath oil or bath salt will do wonders. Just be sure to apply a little lemon juice and oil to those areas before you get in to the tub. Lemon juice will help to exfoliate and oil will help to keep skin soft.

3) Before going to bed apply AHA or BHA cream  to these areas and that will help to exfoliate dry skin making it soft and smooth.

Only follow these tips when you are not wearing spray tan or preparing for spray tan

When you have a spray tan on you should avoid exfoliation until you are ready for the next spray tan application.

Do you have any suggestions or questions?  please leave us a comments.

Hello there,
Hope this post finds you well!
I was answering an email that I received this morning and thought, why not share  with everyone. How you can avoid getting dry skin when you spray tan?

When you are looking for spray tanning solution ask if it contains one of these ingredients: denatured alcohol, SD-40 or ethanol and if it does and it is listed within the  first 4 ingredients , stay clear of the product… why?

1) DHA already has a drying effect on the skin and using this ingredient makes the skin even drier.
2) If you are using this type of product on a regular basis with your clients, and they have to leave this product on their skin for 6 to 8 hours before they can rinse off, sooner or later the client  will develop dry skin

What are the results of dry skin? Dry skin leads to loss of tone and that can result in premature aging.

AYU Products are free of any of these ingredients and all products are formulated with hydrating and skin nourishing ingredients that combat the drying effect of the DHA so you and your clients can enjoy a beautiful healthy tan with flawless skin.

Hope this helps and should you have any questions regarding spray tanning products, or how they work,  please do not hesitate to contact us vie email (info at ayusunless. com) call us at 888-298-8081 or 423 910 0577