My reaction to tanning accelerators is actually an ironic commentary on consumer mindsets. I said, what is a tanning accelerator and do I need one?! Haha, I have survived my whole life without tanning accelerators, even managed to get a tan here and there. However, the questions still need to be answered!

Basically, you get a tan when your skin produces melanin to protect yourself from UV rays. If you do not produce enough melanin to protect yourself, you get a sunburn instead. Tanning accelerators are used to help speed up the process so that you spend less time tanning.

There are two ingredients in most tanning accelerators that are supposed to help speed up the tanning process. They are Psoralen and Tyrosin, both of which are amino acids. Okay, that is enough of the science talk right?

 Now all we need is someone to follow us around and blo our hair and airbrush our bodies.  That and a tan accelerator is all you need!

 This is a very enlightened take on indoor tanning.

 And someone else's expert opinion on getting a dark tan.

 A lot of tanning lotions sold in salons contain accelerators; this is why they can be expensive.  Speaking from experience, yes tanning lotions do help.  Are they a requirement for a tan?  No, not necessarily.  You can tan without them.  However, from experience I am more likely to burn in the places I do not apply tanning lotion.  Additionally, lotions with bronzer and accelerators tend to provide a darker, browner tan versus a redder look without them.

Strangely enough, you can actually buy “tanning pills” that contain these amino acids.  These vitamins supposedly help your body produce the melanin that makes you tan.  The idea is that the vitamins just aid in the natural process of tanning.  However, there are critics of tanning pills.  This site makes a compelling argument about why tanning pills will not work.

I guess the debate is out there.   I guess the only thing that you can do is test products for yourself and see what works for you.  Researching ingredients and then looking at the ingredients in the tanning lotions is the smartest thing you can do.  You may find all the ingredients you are looking for in a less expensive lotion.