Beauty news: Eco Tan arrives in New Zealand...

When I first heard about new Australian tanning product brand Eco Tan I must admit I became pretty damn excited, and then after a little more research, even more so! And now it’s available in New Zealand I’m pretty damn ecstatic!

Eco Tan founder, Sonya Driver is one rather inspirational woman. She developed the range after her sister was diagnosed with melanoma – thankfully caught the in time – and the pair began getting regular spray tans. They loved the feeling of having a golden glow, but despaired about the amount of synthetics and toxic ingredients that lie in many popular products. Sonya consequently threw herself into creating a true organic tanning range from her Gold Coast kitchen and eventually, the range known as Eco Tan was born.

It is the first of its kind, made with 100 per cent natural ingredients, 70 per cent of which are certified organic. The warm, golden colour comes from cacao (chocolate) and the active ingredient is Eco Cert Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a certified natural non-toxic type of sugar.  And since launching just over a year ago Eco Tan has made Australian history by becoming the first and only tanning company to be certified organic by the Organic food chain – definitely no mean feat!

Having played with the products a little I can honestly say that they are thus far pretty impressive. As aforementioned, the colour is made from cacao so there are no green or orange tones, and there is no tell tale, “wet dog” self tan odour to give the game away. The signature product is also an organic nourishing moisturiser that dries quickly, and with its colourless lotion it means there are no staining sheets and clothing. Hurrah!

It goes without saying that there are no parabens in the Eco Tan formula, and also no Propylene Glycol, an ingredient that often pops up in popular ranges. It’s actually a common anti-freeze (brake fluid) and has a bad rap sheet too long to mention. In a nutshell it is a petrol chemical that penetrates the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles and to dispose of any PG solutions by burying them in the ground.

But enough bad news, here are the goodies you’ll find in the Eco Tan collection, and hopefully their professional spray tans will be popping up here soon too:

Organic Invisible tan – a certified Organic Tan with no hidden nasties than comes in the form of a luxe moisturiser that gives you a long lasting chocolate tan within hours.

Organic Winter Skin  - the Winner of the 2012 Shop Till You Drop ‘Genius Award’, this is a gradual tan with a yummy rose scent. I’ve just started using it and so far, so awesome!

Extreme Exfoliant Glove – a soft but effective glove that is perfect for pre tanning and post-tan removal that can be used without products and just rinsed and hung in the shower. Genius.

To find out more have a read here... I definitely recommend that you check this baby out!