Paula's Choice NEW 365 self-tanner -- anyone tried?!?!?!

FUTURE · ‎04-11-2010

I must admit, I'm intrigued. Goes on as a foam, dries quickly, and no smell -- per her site and FB. I'm fair (not porcelain, usually second shade in foundations, sometimes 3rd, at most), and was only thinking of using this on my legs for the summer. I usually end up slightly orange, and want something that dries fast and doesn't go Oompa Loompa on me.

I'd love to hear if any of you have taken the plunge on this!

Happy Elizabeth · ‎10-01-2012

No, but I'm very tempted!

Peetie57_1 · ‎04-21-2010

I was actually looking at this on Sat. There has been some really good suggestions here on the board. A hard decision for me to make!

cruise chick · ‎07-18-2011

I'm also curious about it, too. Most of her stuff I love, but the makeup was too sheer. I'm similar paleness to you, so post a reply here if you try it, please.

Favorite Son · ‎12-07-2012

If Paula B. is all about dissing harmful ingredients why would she even make a self-tanner? I haven't looked at the ingredients, but most of these products have as their main active, acetone. That is the same active ingredient in traditional nail polish remover. It is highly reactive, and has to be that way, in order to reduce your skin and turn it brown. (Or is it oxidize? My organic chemistry class was too long ago).

I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of other self-tanners out there with the same harmful ingredient. It just seems a little hypocritical to market a self-tanner when you make a living constantly criticizing products with ingredients that are far less harmful than acetone.

Maybe this is something radically different. Does anyone know?

DoneTryin · ‎03-09-2010

According to the ingredients list, there isn't any acetone.

Favorite Son · ‎12-07-2012

On 4/14/2014 VCamp2748 said:
According to the ingredients list, there isn't any acetone.

No, unfortunately, it is in there. This is not a very stellar ingredient deck. Here it is, copied from the product listing. I was intrigued about the prospect that it might be manufactured without acetone, and went over to the site to take a look.

Product Ingredients:

Water, Dihydroxyacetone (self-tanning agent), Glycerin (skin-repairing ingredient), Ethoxydiglycol (penetration enhancer), Caramel (natural coloring agent), Polysorbate 20 (emulsifier), Erythrulose (self-tanning agent), Decyl Glucoside (gentle foaming agent), Ethylhexylglycerin (skin-conditioning agent), Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide (stabilizers/pH adjusters), Phenoxyethanol (preservative).

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/14/2014 Favorite Son said:
If Paula B. is all about dissing harmful ingredients why would she even make a self-tanner? I haven't looked at the ingredients, but most of these products have as their main active, acetone. That is the same active ingredient in traditional nail polish remover. It is highly reactive, and has to be that way, in order to reduce your skin and turn it brown. (Or is it oxidize? My organic chemistry class was too long ago).

I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of other self-tanners out there with the same harmful ingredient. It just seems a little hypocritical to market a self-tanner when you make a living constantly criticizing products with ingredients that are far less harmful than acetone.

Maybe this is something radically different. Does anyone know?

Apparently, she is not being hypocritical because she had already rated this ingredient as "Good" in her Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary. And from what I can tell, I don't think that this ingredient is related or similar to acetone. From her Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary:

dihydroxyacetone

Rating:: Good
Categories:: Miscellaneous

Ingredient present in all self-tanners that affects the color of skin. Derived from sugar, it reacts with amino acids found in the top layers of skin to create a shade of brown; the effect takes place within two to six hours and it can build color depth with every reapplication. It has a long history of safe use.

Also from MedicineNet.com:

What is DHA?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the most effective sunless tanning products contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as the active ingredient. DHA is a colorless chemical (it is derived from glycerin) that interacts with the amino acids in dead skin cells to produce a brown color change. Since these dead skin cells are constantly being shed, the color change produced by DHA usually lasts about five to seven days.

DHA is not absorbed through the skin into the body and it has no known toxicity. DHA was first discovered by the Germans in the late 1920's when DHA spilled on the skin produced a brown color. DHA has been listed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1973, and has been used in cosmetic preparations for almost 30 years.

And from the Free Dictionary:

dihydroxyacetone /di·hy·droxy·ac·e·tone/ (di?hi-drok?se-as´e-ton) the simplest ketose, a triose; it is an isomer of glyceraldehyde. D. phosphate is an intermediate in glycolysis, the glycerol phosphate shuttle, and the biosynthesis of carbohydrates and lipids.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

PINKdogWOOD · ‎05-13-2010

I like Tan Towels from hsn. Just received their tsv a week or so ago. If you're interested they come in half sheets and whole. I can do half towels on legs OR upper body. I like the whole towel b/c I can do my entire body with one. Lasts 3-4 days, not garish, orange, or smelly - all MHO.