Self Tanners Are Selling As Often As Every 4 Seconds, Even In A Pandemic
It would be an understatement to say 2020 has been a doozy, but even throughout the devastating economic impact caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, there is one industry that is thriving: the self tanning industry. Even in 2020 some self tanning brands have sold a product as often as every four seconds. Yes, you read that right. Even with nowhere to go and primarily being seen through a digital screen, people want a glow. And they’re getting it — at home.
Prior to the pandemic, the self tanning industry saw massive growth over the past few years —especially in the United States. The Tan Bible spoke with four of the world’s most popular self tanning brands to gain some insight as to just how fast the industry is growing, and each brand’s growth statistics will astound you and allow you to see a bright light from a glowing (pun intended) industry in the midst of a global pandemic.
Australian sunless brand Bondi Sands shared their growth statistics with The Tan Bible and noted they entered the U.S. market in late 2019 and has since launched on Ulta.com, CVS, and Walgreens (thus, gaining a 68% market share in mass retailers). Since then, they’ve also seen a 97% increase in incremental category growth in North America, and continues to sell a product every four seconds globally.
Bondi Sands Ultra Dark Aero
Hair and bodycare brand Coco & Eve expanded into sunless tanning and also entered the U.S. market in late 2019 by launching cult-favorite Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam. Since its debut, Sunny Honey has sold out four times, garnered a 35,000+ person waitlist, and has sold a product every 20 seconds in the United States, the brand told The Tan Bible.
Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bronzing Foam
Instagram Influencer-favorite brand Bali Body launched its self tanning category in 2018 and has since seen a 200% increase in business growth — and that’s with one of those years happening during one of the worst financial conditions of all time.
Bali Body Dark Self Tanning Mousse
Finally, Isle of Paradise launched in June 2018 and has since sold out of their legendary Self Tanning Drops over 25 times, became the number one top-selling self tanning brand at Sephora, seen a 135% increase in brand sales, and sold a whopping 100,000 self tanning drops in 2020 alone.
Isle of Paradise Dark Self Tanning Drops
“OK, so why are these numbers important?” you ask? Most of these stats show the self tanning industry’s growth in just the last two years — with one of those years happening during an unprecedented pandemic and subsequent economic crisis. For comparison, self tanning products from each of these four brands are similarly priced to items from prestige makeup brands — whose sales were down 35% in August, compared to the year before, according to Vox. Makeup; a staple in most women’s lives and a decades-old staple category in the beauty industry, has seen a dramatic decline in sales the past year; while new and innovative self tanning brands and products (who ultimately haven’t gained the same brand-trust that makeup has) have seen a massive uptick in sales. So what does this mean? While it’s not clear whether the majority of self tanning customers are buying products in place of makeup, it’s confirmed they’re turning to self tanning products for a safe, more permanent glow that will help them look and feel their best — even if they’re not seeing anyone in-person. In summary: The self tanning industry isn’t going anywhere but up for a long, long time.