The 15 Best Tanning Lotions for Tattoos Reviews & Guide 2024

Tans and tattoos are meant to beautify the body, but sometimes they can be counterproductive to each other.

Tanning may prolong the healing process of your tattoo and the wrong tanning lotions may cause it to fade and look unattractive.

Normally, a tattoo takes 2 to 3 weeks to regrow the outer skin and heal completely.

Hence, you must ask yourself if you want to flaunt your body with that tan and tattoo right away or wait a few weeks to do it safely.

How to Tan with a Tattoo?

A fresh tattoo needs to be moisturized regularly and tanning can dehydrate your skin, preventing it from healing and posing risks to the body as well as your tattoo.

Moreover, a new tattoo also requires extra protection from Ultraviolet rays because the skin is literally wounded at the areas where you have been inked.

Whether you like to tan your body or you get exposed to UV rays due to professional and personal obligations, your skin needs protection.

The most obvious solution is to use a tanning solution that does not react with the ink of your tattoo. Fact is many companies offer tanning lotions that are manufactured for the purpose of application on tattooed skin and may of them are easily available across the USA.

What makes a Tattoo tanning lotion different from others?

The lotion must be chemically inert to the ink and possess clinically proven results of preventing a tattoo from fading. Additionally, it must have a higher concentration of moisturizers, anti-inflammatory compounds, and skin-friendly rejuvenators.

While many spray tans may create the illusion of lightening a tattoo temporarily, few of them can help nourish your skin after it has been etched.

If you concede to dermatologists and skincare experts, you are supposed to cover your tattoo and avoid the direct incidence of sunlight or any form of artificial radiation for the first month.

Then again, if you decide to get a tan immediately, natural ingredients cannot help you with exposure beyond 20-30 minutes. A natural extract from shea butter, aloe vera, beeswax, or raspberries can be useful, but it won’t be as efficient as a manufactured tanning lotion.

Natural remedies will also require higher volumes of moisturizers.

Top Tanning Lotions for Tattoos

Hence, it seems more practical to utilize a readymade solution and the tanning lotions listed below may help you arrive at an informed decision.

Black Label Ed Hardy Tanning Moisturizing Lotion

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This tanning lotion has a very potent protector that saves tattoos and body art colors from the ill-effects of tanning.  Furthermore, it has enhanced the sun-blocking effectiveness of coconut oil to 100% while enhancing its qualities as an excellent moisturizer by the addition of cocoa butter. The lotion also contains trademarked intensifiers, stimulants of greater melanin formation, and chemical components that help achieve a uniform tan across normal and tattooed skin. The resulting skin is a natural golden brown; devoid of any bronzing agents. No wonder the coconut kisses lotion is highly recommended by a huge volume of consumers, who claim to have used it within the same day of getting a tattoo.

Sorry Not Sorry, Extreme Black Bronzer by Ed Hardy

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If you are feeling very sensitive on your tattooed skin patch, then the “Sorry Not Sorry Bronzer” may be the apt tanning lotion for you. It has all the tattoo and tan protection qualities of other Ed Hardy lotions, but its key selling point is the fact that it is infused with extracts of avocado, aloe vera, and cucumber along with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as hemp seed oil, macadamia, and almond extracts. These extracts enable this lotion to become a soothing agent that not only moisturizes the skin but also quells irritating sensations and accelerates the regrowth of inked skin. Additionally, it also has the trademarked BB Crème compound, a skin primer that mattifies the external skin tissues and provides you with an air-brushed appearance.

Silicone Elixir Bronzer Tattoo Protection, by Ed Hardy

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The Elixir Silicone has been specifically crafted for indoor tanning. Given the recent pandemic scare and the tendency of consumers to avoid crowded beaches, many people have opted to use tanning machines or get tanned under indirect sunlight.  In both cases, the skin may suffer the excess or absence of certain radiations that may age the skin in the long run.  Hence, this lotion also contains ultra-advanced versions of silicone along with anti-aging ingredients that are very effective on tattooed skin. After regular use, it reduces sagging or loosening of the skin, firms up stretch marks or wrinkles, and adds a long-lasting tan to firm skin.

Devoted Creations Le Moment Bronzing Lotion

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Le Moment is an indoor tanning lotion, offered by Devoted Creations, a leading manufacturer and supplier of tanning beds across the globe. Equipped with a tattoo and color fade technology, this lotion also contains an exceptionally high level of DHA. Hence, it provides the extra hydration to the skin, especially when it is subjected to concentrated levels of UV radiation in the tanning bed. Another competitive differentiator of “Le Moment” is the presence of a skin firming and anti-aging component made of snow algae powder. This powder also acts as a stimulant for higher collagen production, making for healthier and younger-looking skin.

Devoted Creations Camo King Tanning Lotion

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Another offering by Devoted Creations, the Camo King Black Bronzing Lotion appears to be an intelligent tanning lotion. It does not discolor the tattoo, but it reduces dark spots on the skin. As if it knows how to sense and identify the uniqueness of a tattoo. Since it has a bronzing agent, the darkening of your skin does not necessarily require any UV radiation.

Hence, the company does not categorize it as a tanning agent. Either way, the application of this lotion results in a glowing albeit golden brown tan, and the presence of certain anti-oxidants and proprietary chemical compounds helps remove any dark spots that plague your skin.

Apollo/Artemis Tanning Lotion, by SunGodZ

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This is the most adaptive tanning lotion off the entire list and it can be put to multiple uses. You can use it to tan your body with or without the sun and you do not have to worry about it getting washed off under a shower. In fact, if you believe company claims, the SunGodz indoor tanning lotion can outlast a training session at an outdoor gym, followed by a quick shower or a swim in the ocean.

Furthermore, your tan is silky, quick, and flawless. As such, when it promises to protect your tattoo with a money-back guarantee upon damagers, you better believe in the resilience of this tanning lotion.

Australian Gold’s New G Gentlemen Advanced Black Bronzer

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The list of ingredients of the Black Bronzer lotion is so long that you may think that you are looking at the recipe of a powerful magic potion. Not only does it have a tattoo fading complex that prolongs the life and color of your tattoo, but it also has multiple moisturizers including coconut water. The lotion is specially designed for the rugged and tough skins i.e. male users and those who tend to neglect their skin until it becomes hard. Applying the lotion also feels good to the consumer because you experience an alluring fragrance i.e. a mixture of essential oils of geranium, orange, moss, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli and bergamot.

Millennium Bronzer Once You Go Black

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If you think that tanning and tattoos are about pushing boundaries, the Auto-Darkening feature of this lotion may tempt you to “Go Black”.  The “Once You Go Black Bronzer” has achieved a darker tan, without the odors of excessive tanning. Armed with a tattoo protector and an odor eliminator, this lotion can give your skin a long-lasting tan and the smell of tropical mangoes. Since it has a good quantity of bronzing agents, it does not mandate the use of UV radiations or sunlight.

Supre Snooki Skinny Tanning Lotion

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When you try to achieve an improved look, tone, and feel for your skin, you may get troubled by its imperfections and overwhelmed by the specialized nature of various beauty and skincare products. Relax and try the Supre Snooki Skinny Streak-Free Bronzer Tanning Lotion. It is made from a potent blend of many botanical ingredients with the sole intention of providing you with a single solution for all your skincare needs, irrespective of the fact that you have a tattoo. The lotion preserves the tattoo and also tackles aging, sagging, dark spots, uneven tanning, and hardening of the skin

One and Done’s Jwoww White Bronzer

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Renew your skin and say wow. The “New Sunshine Jwoww One and Done White Bronzer Lotion” contains a trademarked and proprietary Ink Drink Complex. Unlike an anti-fading agent, this compound goes a step further in tattoo preservation by claiming to maintain the best possible appearance of the tattoo. It also hydrates the skin through avocado oil and caffeine. Then again, while it has the validated natural remedies for tattoo protection i.e. raspberry, beeswax, and shea butter, Jwoww also has extracts of skin rejuvenators like black currant and pear.

Somewhere on a Beach Instant, by Devoted Creations

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Many skin experts and consumers become fearful of the combination of DHA with bronzing agents, due to the risk of stains and streaks on the skin after a long tan.  IF you are such a person, you can try the “Somewhere on a Beach” dark tanning lotion. It does not have any DHA and yet, its bronzer provides you with a deep and dark tan, thanks to the innovative compound called Advanced Matrixyl Synthe 6. This compound also acts as a peptide that counters aging and removes lines and wrinkles on the skin. Moreover, it also moisturizes the skin, thanks to the natural ingredients of walnut and coconut oils.

Devote Creations Truly Iconic Intensifier

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The Truly Iconic Intensifier Tanning Lotion has created a special market of its own by incorporating ingredients that fight cellulite and help tone the body with firmer skin. You will not find this feature in only one other tanning lotion unless it is without color fading or tattoo protecting technology. Additionally, it has high levels of DHA that hasten the tanning process, without interfering with the seamless darkening of the skin by the bronzing agent. Another reason to see it as an iconic lotion is the fact that it is highly fragrant with the long-lasting smells of aloe and star fruit.

Pro Tan Ultra Dark Maximizer For Men

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The skin of men and women is different. Bearing this in mind, Pro Tan launched multiple tanning lotions for men. Herein, the Ultra Dark Maximizer has emerged as the foremost product for preserving new tattoos that are etched on male skin. Not only does it have a more consistent technology in the form of the Tattoo ColorShield, but It also has essential minerals that aid in the healing of the tattooed skin. This healing is further accelerated by extracts of algae and aloe vera. Last but not the least, even after high oil content, this lotion never feels greasy.

Ignite Noir Hot Tingle Bronzer, by Devoted Creations

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Apart from Truly Iconic, Ignite Noir is the only other tanning lotion to possess the combination of tattoo and color fade protection technology with ingredients that tackle cellulite problems. Since it is a product of Devoted Creations, this lotion is also compatible for use with tanning beds. Surprisingly, it smells similar to Truly Iconic because it also has the fragrance of aloe and star fruit.  On the other hand, unlike its competitor, the Ignite Noir has an exceptional volume of DHA, allowing it to tan your skin quickly.

It has high levels of DHA, which allows it to speed up tanning or bronzing. It also has cellulite-fighting ingredients, which will be great for toning and firming the skin. Lastly, it has star fruit and aloe fragrance.

Command Black Bronzer for Tattoo Protection, by Designer Skin

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Although Labeled as a lotion for men, the “Designer Skin Command Black Bronzer” has been used by both genders as a unisex product. In a way, this lotion has multiple uses and it can be used outdoors as well as indoors. The combination of DHA, Quadruple Bronzing Blend and tattoo protection ingredients are adaptive enough to provide consistent results under varying conditions.

Final Words

Tattoos never go out of style and there are plenty of reasons why you can decide to get one. But before taking action, you should consider that it is a procedure that needs care and protection. It is important that you always have a cream to cure tattoos among your cosmetic products, but the sun and summer will not hide from you for much moisturizer you use. The products on the list above are mostly an all in one, and will help you not only to keep your tattoo intact, but to nourish and tan your skin from sensitivity. Come on, show off your skin with confidence!