When one hour becomes 48: the vegan anti-cellulite eco self-tanner tested
13.9.2018
Translation: machine translated
Beautifully tanned from head to toe and all organic, vegan and somehow also anti-cellulite? According to the manufacturer "Eco by Sonya", it should be possible. Well, we'll see...
Summer is slowly giving way to autumn. And if, like me, you have to admit in hindsight that you could have made better use of the sunny hours to get a tan, then don't be sad: there are alternatives. When my colleague Livia Gisler asked me if I would like to test an eco self-tanner, I was slightly irritated. I seemed to have two drawers in my head. One for people who follow a vegan diet and are meticulous about ensuring that everything they buy is certified organic. And one for people like me who like to bathe in self-tanner and watch trash TV while it's working. However, there does seem to be an overlap, namely the target group of the brand Eco by Sonya.
Sonya Driver founded the brand with the following idea: A beautiful tan must also be possible without a) exposing yourself to the risks of excessive sun exposure and b) the dangers of potentially harmful ingredients. I tried two products from their range to look like I've just returned from a beach holiday from head to toe: the Cacao Firming Mousse for the body and the Face Tan Water - you guessed it - for the face! Both certified organic, vegan, enriched only with natural ingredients and not tested on animals.
Face to face with the Face Tan Water
Even if you can use the body mousse on your face: Call me a marketing victim, but I find the light texture of face tanning oils and waters to be much more comfortable neck up. So far, I swear by the "Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil" from St. Tropez. It smoothes my skin, absorbs quickly and achieves an even result after just one application. The Face Tan Water from Eco by Sonya therefore has strong competition here.
What Sonya tells us about the product
- Main ingredients: aloe vera, orange peel and rose geranium
- For face, neck and décolleté
- gives the skin a youthful glow
- Recommended use: 2-3 times a week
- prevents moisture loss from the skin
- no greasy feeling
- non-comedogenic
And actually - and it pains me to say this - it's better than my St Tropez Facial Oil. I applied the toner to my cleansed face two hours before going to bed with a soft, rounded bronzer brush. I can hardly categorise the scent, but it is definitely very pleasant. The only downside is that the top of the bottle is not at all practical. It is reminiscent of essential oils, where you have to be patient and skilful to let the contents drip out. A pipette would definitely make more sense here. It says on the bottle that you should wait eight hours before washing your face again. Therefore, an overnight action makes perfect sense. The next morning I saw a clear difference, a soft, even tan with an olive-coloured undertone. Perfect!
Tip: For an even application and to protect your nerves, I would recommend putting a few drops in a small glass bowl first and then proceeding from there with the brush.
Firm and tanned with the Cacao Firming Mousse?
Now that the face has a fresh coat, the body must of course follow suit.
What Sonya tells us about the product
- Suitable for all skin tones
- Main ingredients: coffee, blood orange, ginger, mandarin, cocoa, grapefruit and aloe vera
- Reduces the visibility of cellulite and conjures up visually smooth skin
- 1 hour application time for a "Light-Coffee Complexion", 4 for a "Luxurious, deep bronze"
- No orange, fake-looking colour
- subtle chocolate fragrance
My journey to a perfectly tanned body begins with the recommended full-body scrub in the shower. A little scrubbing later, I'm already standing in front of the mirror, the mousse in one hand and my trusty applicator glove in the other. According to the application instructions, the latter is not really necessary. I shake the product well first and give it a shy pump onto the glove. What I notice straight away: The mousse is extremely light in colour, unlike any other self-tanning mousse (or what's the plural of mousse?) I've tested so far. Reminds me of the tantalising milk foam on a latte macchiato. So not only does it look like a bite to drink, it smells like one too. Unfortunately, my untrained nose cannot determine whether this is a chocolate fragrance.
When applying, I quickly notice that it is very difficult to see where the product has already been applied and where it has not, especially because of the light colour. Unlike my favourite Loving Tan Deluxe Bronzing Mousse and St. Tropez Express Bronzing Mousse, it doesn't leave a dark film on the skin. This is important because the areas that have been treated with two layers are generally more tanned later on. So now I'm taking the full risk.
I let it soak in, which, to be honest, doesn't really happen. I feel like the product just sits on my skin. However, this has been the case with almost every one of my express self-tanners so far. So nothing out of the ordinary. Sticky as I am, sitting until I shower off is out of the question, which is why I have to keep myself busy standing up. According to the packaging, I can expect a light tan after one hour, but after four hours I should look like I'm a professional sun worshipper in Barbados. After a solid three hours and 15 minutes, I spontaneously decide to initiate the shower phase, as the need for a seat is clearly noticeable. However, not much has happened on the skin yet, which is not too bad as the tan should continue to develop for up to 48 hours after showering, according to the manufacturer. So it remains exciting...
The next morning I can see the difference. Although I'm much browner, I'm still nowhere near as tanned as I'm used to from other self-tanners. So I give it a little more time. The next day: I've actually gained another olive-coloured tan. I'm now pretty happy with the result. And the cellulite? Yes, as is so often the case, it disappears as my complexion improves, but I haven't noticed any difference in the tissue - especially not after one application.
Conclusion: Should you or shouldn't you use the eco self-tanners?
The Cacao Firming Mousse is more for the shy among us who don't like to overdo it and like to go natural. For me, there was a clear difference, even if it was different from the result I would have personally liked to see. Which I highly credit to the product: It is absolutely 100% "dubbelisafe". Even if I had wanted to, I would not have been able to provoke a streaky result. I have to say: I sweated like a pig during the application time and accidentally got a few splashes of water in the kitchen - but still no stains in sight. The bottom line is that I've never had such an even and natural-looking tan. And with an olive rather than orange undertone. What I didn't like was the fact that the bottle advertises a 1-hour express tan, but I had to wait 48 hours for the full effect to develop. I understand "express" to mean something else. What's more, I can only imagine how subtle the tan would have been after just one hour. And the cellulite? Yes, of course it was concealed, which is always the case with a tan anyway. So a nice optical illusion. All in all, I wouldn't have expected such a positive result from an organic product, but I will still prefer my other self-tanners for time-saving reasons.
As far as the toner is concerned, it has outperformed my St. Tropez Facial Oil for two reasons: the before and after difference is greater and Eco by Sonya is cheaper to buy with a 100ml bottle than the St. Tropez oil with its 30ml bottle. I also have the feeling that the toner is absorbed more quickly than the facial oil.
You can find out more about my self-tanning escapades, as well as tips and tricks on the topic, in my article here: [[marketingpage:7759]]
Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.
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