Alba Botanica • Alba Botanica Very Emollient Natural Sunless Tanner • Self Tanners

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*TOP REVIEWER* emodel on 5/17/2013 3:09:00 AM more reviews by emodel

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I usually use the Lavera self tanner which I love, but if I can`t find it or don`t want to pay the $30, I quickly grab this one. The smell is ok, I apply it with disposable latex gloves. The color is nice but not as pretty brown and natural as the Lavera one. I think it is worth a try as it is only $10, that is like all the other drugstore brands out there and this gave me better color than those. Still, if you find Lavera, buy that...:-)

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brittanymarkle on 1/26/2012 1:34:00 PM more reviews by brittanymarkle

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I am really shocked at the poor reviews! I came here specifically to rave about this product... to each her own I guess.

I've used several self-tanning brands including jergens, neutrogenia, loreal, oil of olay and vichy. Alba is by far my favorite. The first time I applied it, it was streaky (even after exfoliation) but I decided to give it another chance. This time I moisturized my hands and feet and wore latex gloves for the application AND I used less product. It's surprising how much less of this product I needed compared to others (Jergens in particular). The key I think is the latex gloves. They allow you to rub and rub until the product is fully absorbed and even, without fearing orange palms.

The colour for me is perfect and did not transfer to my clothes as badly as the others. If I apply it twice in the same day I get a surprisingly deep brown colour - and I am quite pale. I wore a double application for a trip to Vegas with a group of girls who are all bronze goddesses and you couldn't even tell in pictures that my tan was fake!

Pros:
Luxuriously moisturizing
Nice colour
Not too bad in terms of clothes transfer
Need less product than other brands
Inexpensive

Cons:
Smells like that self-tanning chemical just like all the others (even the fruity fragrance only masks it for an hour or so)
Must wear gloves, moisturize hands and feet, and really rub it in or you'll end up streaky

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beth00101 on 9/2/2011 10:15:00 PM more reviews by beth00101

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I was so disappointed with this self tanner. I expected a lot more from Alba because I use their other skincare products and have been happy with them. I bought the tanner at Whole Foods and thought i'd give it a try since I trust their other products. I've never used a worse self tanner....the streaks on my legs and feet are embarrassing. After scrubbing away what I could I am still left with awful dark blotches on toes, ankles, etc. I used it on arms too and it wasn't as streaky, but just so not worth it. I would never recommend this product....and trust me, i've tried MANY!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* citygirl123 on 6/19/2011 8:03:00 PM more reviews by citygirl123

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

This review is for the Alba Botanica sunless tanner that comes in the squeeze tube (not the pump) and doesn't contain SPF.

The review of this product on health food sites is very favorable, and I was looking for a cruelty-free version of the Banana Boat Summer Color, and this seemed to fit the bill: affordable, instant color that's still buildable and non-streaky. So, I picked it up.

And now that I've used pretty much the entire tube, I can say that I really don't like it.

One, it's marketed as a healthy, "all-natural" sunless tanner. But, if you compare this to the BB Summer Color on the skin deep database (which scored products on their toxicity levels), this one scored one or two points higher, which means that it's more toxic. At first, I assumed it was the fragrance because it's pretty strong in the Alba product, but it was actually an increased risk of cancer. So, the marketing of this product is disappointing.

Two, I didn't like the color it gave me. I have yellow-toned skin, and this just made me darker yellow color. It wasn't awful, and I did look tan, but I wasn't a fan of the color. I prefer sunless tanners to have a more red undertone to make the tan look more natural and sunkissed.

Three, the formula was pretty streaky. More streaky than the BB product. I even took TONS of time applying it very carefully, and also invested in one of those mitts that people use to apply sunless tanners. It still was streaky around my ankles and on my legs. And yes, I exfoliated and applied regular lotion to my dry patches.

Four, the fragrance was too overpowering for me. Although, I'm extremely sensitive to fragrances, though, so this is a personal thing. It almost has a chemically-vanilla smell that smells decent in the tube, but on my skin, when you have to apply the product everywhere, it made me nauseous. It was too much.

Finally, five, the color transferred to my clothes. I applied this product after I showered at night, and the bottle says to let it soak into the skin for three hours, which I did (and I just wore short black PJ shorts and a tank top for those three hours). About five hours later, I put my regular PJ bottoms on for bed, and when I woke up, they were brown and orange inside. I was bummed. My tank top was fine because it was black and I only noticed a small transfer on my ivory sheets, but not as bad as my PJ pants.

Overall, I was happy to be done with this product. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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