One of the things that really gets my goat when using fake tan is stained hand. Even with a mitt some of the product always seems to escape, leaving me with a darkly bronzed thumb or little finger. The St Tropez Tan Remover aims to decrease staining woes, removing fake tan mistakes on the hands ‘in an instant’. The salon inspired formula is specifically designed for palms and fingers, and can be used up to four hours after fake tan application. For someone like me who’s had their fair share of glowing orange palms and always seems to get a concentrated tan splodge or two in the wrong area this seems like a godsend, but does it really work?
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Presented in a 240ml bottle of St Tropez’s signature accent blue, the tan remover is actually a very pretty product when pumped out- dense exfoliating grains suspended within a pearlescent yellow-green-blue lotion that makes it look much more attractive than the usual exfoliator. It has a strong scent that hasn’t been carried through from their tanning range: quite obviously artificial, but I don’t find it unpleasant. The lotion is applied to the hands with water, paying particular attention to the fingers and palms where fake tan builds up; it doesn’t foam, but that helps to maximise on the gentle scrubbing action as none of the grains are lost.
I’ve found this tan remover very hit and miss - it removes instant wash off tan easily (although you could really do that with soap and water) but for developing tans it isn’t so effective. There have been times when I’ve used this product immediately after applying self tan with my hands, was happy that I’d got every last bit off, but still woke up with dark palms. This suggests that it’s better at removing the tan guide colour than the DHA, which is the active ingredient that develops and tans the skin. I also find that it really takes a lot of work to remove dense areas of staining - sometimes I’ve given up and moved on to another product.
I think the main downfall of this tan remover is that in essence, it's just a scrub. Considering it's from one of the most well known self tan companies globally, I would have expected chemical tan removers to be included in the formula to make the manual work more effective, as well as ensuring the DHA is broken down and removed so it can’t develop into a strong colour. Unfortunately the St Tropez Tan Remover isn’t as efficient on my stained hands as I’d hoped, especially not on developing tans or very dark guide colours. In future I think I’ll be replying on a simple sugar scrub and chemical wipes instead to keep my fingers and palms stain free.
The St Tropez Tan Remover is available online for £10.46.
Written by Kirsty Paterson
@taupeandpearl![]()
Presented in a 240ml bottle of St Tropez’s signature accent blue, the tan remover is actually a very pretty product when pumped out- dense exfoliating grains suspended within a pearlescent yellow-green-blue lotion that makes it look much more attractive than the usual exfoliator. It has a strong scent that hasn’t been carried through from their tanning range: quite obviously artificial, but I don’t find it unpleasant. The lotion is applied to the hands with water, paying particular attention to the fingers and palms where fake tan builds up; it doesn’t foam, but that helps to maximise on the gentle scrubbing action as none of the grains are lost.
I’ve found this tan remover very hit and miss - it removes instant wash off tan easily (although you could really do that with soap and water) but for developing tans it isn’t so effective. There have been times when I’ve used this product immediately after applying self tan with my hands, was happy that I’d got every last bit off, but still woke up with dark palms. This suggests that it’s better at removing the tan guide colour than the DHA, which is the active ingredient that develops and tans the skin. I also find that it really takes a lot of work to remove dense areas of staining - sometimes I’ve given up and moved on to another product.
I think the main downfall of this tan remover is that in essence, it's just a scrub. Considering it's from one of the most well known self tan companies globally, I would have expected chemical tan removers to be included in the formula to make the manual work more effective, as well as ensuring the DHA is broken down and removed so it can’t develop into a strong colour. Unfortunately the St Tropez Tan Remover isn’t as efficient on my stained hands as I’d hoped, especially not on developing tans or very dark guide colours. In future I think I’ll be replying on a simple sugar scrub and chemical wipes instead to keep my fingers and palms stain free.
The St Tropez Tan Remover is available online for £10.46.
Written by Kirsty Paterson
@taupeandpearl