eXtremely Confusing?

Tingle Tanning

Ever since the birth of the “tingle” tanning lotion in the early nineties, logically thinking folks have tried to make sense of the labelling and in particular, the levels placed there by the lotion companies. There is no “Tingle Regulation” that would set an industry-wide rating system so it is left up to each company to come up with their own.

Tingle products are primarily created using a chemical called nicotinate, similar to niacin which causes an increase in circulation to the area in which it is applied. This causes a mild to intense warming and reddening of the skin which typically fades within 20-40 minutes after application. With continued usage, the skin becomes less sensitive to the tingle factor and it becomes necessary to step up to a higher tingle factor.

The original tingle products called “Swedish Beauty” were manufactured in Arizona by the late John Abate of John Abate International.  Later the Swedish Beauty brand changed hands and it is now owned by another large lotion company. Not long after being released on the U.S. market, John Abate’s lotion line skyrocketed to the top as people learned of these tingle tanning products. Slowly, all of the other lotion companies realized they needed to offer tingle products for their customers as well.

Originally John Abate International offered a single product simply called “Accelerator” and a product with less tingle for those with “Sensitive” skin. There was no designation of tingle strength as of yet. This was later replaced with their Tingle Level 1 and 2 and then followed by stronger products with a 3 and finally Tingle Factor 4 products.

To most people, this is a pretty simple system. Tingle factors 1-4 with four being the strongest available and only for advanced tingle users. This is where the simplicity ends and the confusion begins.

Next Generation

Seeing the benefits of skin stimulation in tanning, Skincare By Hoss released Outlaw Tanning Lotion with what they nicknamed the “Stolen Tingle.” This product has sold thousands of bottles over the years and is still produced today in it’s various forms.

Nearly every other lotion company followed with their own versions of tingle tanning lotions. Today some of the other popular brands include Most, Ultimate and Brown Sugar who each have very popular tingle tanning lotions. Originally Skincare By Hoss expanded their Outlaw line by releasing Outlaw 5x, meaning 5 times the tingle factor, followed by 6x the year after that. John Abate came back with Tingle Factor 2+ and then 3, 3+ and finally 4. Obviously, these numbers mean different things at different companies. John Abate’s tingle factor 4 is similar in strength to Hoss Sauce’s 6x, or 6 times the tingle.

The other companies also came out with many products that had their own rating system. Consumers were bombarded with everything from 200x up to 9000. One company’s 9000 may not be as strong as another’s 200x which may or may not be as strong as someone else’s 6x.

Companies like Skincare By Hoss added expensive skin care ingredients to their newer hotter products like bestseller Outlaw 6xxx and Outlaw Red Hot Maxx and basically stepped out of the high number race. They focused instead on the customer’s needs rather than the number system.

In the end, the only way to know how hot a product might be, is to test it on your own skin. We recommend testing on a small patch on your arm and waiting 5 minutes or so. This will keep you from being surprised by an intense product after applying to your whole body.

If you haven’t used a tingle tanning lotion before than start with a lesser strength and work up to the hotter ones. You and your tan will thank you for it.

Generation 2.0

Outlaw has long been the standard bearer for tingle tanning. Many consider the Outlaw Red Hot Maxxx to be the strongest or hottest tingle every created. In 2011 Skincare By Hoss released the next generation of Outlaw Tingle with a new product called “SONS OF OUTLAW 99xxx WTF” or Wild Tingle Formula. This new fiery hot lotion promises to take tingle lovers to a whole new dimension of hot tanning bliss. This one is HOT, don’t say we didn’t warn you!