The Fake Bake Challenge

-- Jennifer K Mahal

The sun-kissed look might be in, but for people who don’t want to risk

skin cancer, tanning in the sun is out. However, with so many sunless

tanning products on the market, it’s easy to achieve the summer look

without the summer burn.

We tested five different tanning products to find out which one worked

the best. A quick note -- before trying a sunless tanner, it is

recommended that you exfoliate your skin and shave, if you need to. It

helps the product work better.

Here are the results of our fake bake challenge on a scale of 1 to 10,

with 10 being the best:

NEUTROGENA SUNLESS TANNING LOTION

Cost: $10.29 at a grocery store

Amount: 4 fluid ounces

Results: The color is medium brown with no noticeable streaks. The

lotion, which is SPF 8, is light and dries relatively quickly. It is

specially formulated for facial use.

Overall rating: 9

NO-AD SUNLESS TANNING GEL

Cost: $6.99 at a drug store

Amount: 16 fluid ounces

Results: While the gel is light and dries quickly, it also leaves streaks

in varying shades of orange-brown. There is plenty of it in the bottle,

but you get what you pay for.

Overall rating: 2

BANANA BOAT SUNLESS TANNING SPRAY

Cost: $5.24 at a drug store

Amount: 3.75 fluid ounces

Results: This was by far the best product we tried. The color is deep

brown, even and natural looking. It sprays on easily, but for the best

coverage, you should rub it in a little. The only minor drawback to this

product is that it feels a little oily.

Overall rating: 10

TIME OUT FOR FUN IN THE SUN SELF TANNER

Cost: $7.50 at Sears

Amount: 4 fluid ounces

Results: The cream is rich and moisturizing, but the results were

disappointing. Most areas turned a rich brown, but there were a number of

streaks. It also takes a long time to dry. However, it is available in

four fragrances. The one we tried, Kiwi Melon Ambrosia, smelled quite

pleasant.

Overall rating: 3

COPPERTONE OIL-FREE SUNLESS TANNER

Cost: $8.89 at a drug store

Amount: 6 fluid ounces

Results: The color was even, without streaks. The lotion was light, dried

quickly and smelled nice. The tan wasn’t as deep as expected, but it

looked natural.

Overall rating: 8.5