An end to the ultra dark days
New regulations to take ultra dark fake tan off the market have prompted Gemma Good to consider how the Irish can be obsessed with appearances and how other cultures compare...
The fake tanning business has suffered a huge loss in recent weeks as darker shades will be taken off the market in April of this year. The darkening agent contained in the ultra-dark formula exceeds the limitation of 10%. The ingredient, known as DHA (dihydroxyacetone), can cause skin irritation or lung problems if inhaled for long periods of time. Despite health risks, influencers and tan users across the country have taken to TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to express their outrage at the decision by the EU. Ireland is home to many fake tanning brands including SOSU by Suzanne Jackson, Cocoa Brown by Marissa Carter and Sculpted by Aimee Connolly, all of whom are now tasked with re-formulating their darker shades.
As we discussed the tanning dilemma in class during the week, I noticed some students looked fairly disappointed, others surprised, confused or simply unbothered (in other big news face masks are now optional in UL meaning facial expressions are back). To be honest, my initial thought was that April is over a month away, giving me plenty of time to stockpile my favourite tan. One student who voiced her confusion was Sophie VonDung who hails from Berlin, Germany. Sophie joined our class this semester as part of her Erasmus. As somebody who prefers a natural look, Sophie was shocked by Ireland’s reaction to the product going off the market. Intrigued by our cultural differences, I caught up with Sophie after class to learn about her experience with fake tan.
Sophie was as interested in learning about tanning in Ireland as I was about Germany. She told me she had never really seen fake tan, let alone ever purchased a bottle or used it. I found myself explaining what tan actually was, a beauty product that darkens the colour of skin over time, giving a more bronzed look. I detailed that it comes in different forms such as liquid, mousse, spray or lotion and also ranges in the shades light, medium, dark and ultra-dark. She told me fake tan is not popular at all in Germany, in fact it is looked down upon in many areas.
“In Germany it’s quite negatively connotated when someone has fake tan,” Sophie explained.
“It was surprising for me to see that it is so common here.”
People in Germany do prefer a tanned look, according to Sophie, however they are willing to wait for the kiss of the sun to achieve it.
“It’s not considered very beautiful to be pale in Germany but it’s just normal,” she reasoned.
“People are used to being pale in winter and then in summer when the sun is coming out, we get tanned naturally.
“We accept it like that.”
In her home country, Sophie said fake tan is often associated with people of lower classes. Clearly the new UL student did not agree with this stereotype, as she struggled to explain it to me.
“In Germany fake tan is immediately associated with lower class people.”
Other forms or self-expression are explored in Germany, such as the clothes you wear, statement haircuts or make-up.
Sophie revealed since moving to Limerick, she is “tempted” to try fake tan.
“I am curious now to see what it’s like,” she said.
My conversation with Sophie made me wonder about Ireland’s obsession with fake tan and unnatural looks in general. On my first night back in Limerick, I literally ran to my room to check my suitcase when I thought I forgot to pack my make-up. My fears were confirmed, I had left it sitting on the counter at home. For those of you who don’t know what refreshers is, it is a student’s first week back to college. During this period, it is completely acceptable to go out at any time with the elites taking to the town every night of the week. Not the time to forget make-up. I genuinely considered making the three-hour journey home just to get it. Luckily, I caught on to myself – diesel is way too expensive to make a six-hour round trip just for a bit of foundation and eye shadow. I considered going out without putting anything on my face, just to see how I would feel. I couldn’t do it. I’m aware of how dramatic that sounds and I wouldn’t be overly self-conscious or anything but when my friends put their make-up in front of me and told me to pull away, I didn’t refuse.
The tanning dilemma is a similar situation. I have often refused a night out simply because I hadn’t prepped my skin with tan. I know I am not alone in saying this, not having spent time lathering brown liquid on your skin is a perfectly valid reason not to go out. It’s hard to know if the people of Ireland are too self-obsessed or too self-conscious, a little of both or neither. Either way, the beauty brands have people exactly where they want them, which is evident in the reaction to a bottle of liquid leaving the shelves.
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