Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you, we may earn a small commission for qualifying purchases.
Your tattoos are a work of art. But if you want them to stay vibrant for a long time then they need to be protected from the sun. Every time you get some sun, be sure to use the best tanning lotion for tattoos. Then you can relax knowing the colors will hold up for longer.
The tanning lotions that are effective at preventing tattoos from fading will add plenty of moisture to your skin. They enable you to get a healthy-looking bronze while helping to keep the ink bright and clear.
If you’re still worried, you could cover your skin with a bandage, some fabric, or sunscreen. Just be certain that the sunscreen you use doesn’t fade the ink.
Best Tanning Lotions for Tattoos (Recent Update)
To keep things simple, we selected the top tanning lotions for tattooed people. We hope you find what you need below.
Self Tanner & Tanning Mitt Set – With Natural Tanning Lotion
This natural lotion acts like a BB cream but with additional benefits. It bronzes you fast and perfects skin tone, shrinks pores, and firms texture. At the same time, it protects your tattoos and helps you get tan as fast as possible. It has a flowery fragrance and a creamy texture that sinks in fast to leave your skin velvety soft.
Some of the specific highlights include tan extenders and color fade protectors, plus an anti-reddening complex. Lastly, it acts as a complete tanning kit and comes with exfoliators and gloves.
Ed Hardy Coconut Kisses Golden Tanning Lotion
The Coconut Kisses tanning lotion is one of the top picks for people that are new to tanning. It will help you go from winter pale to summer bronze in just a few sessions. It contains a color and tattoo fade protector along with other elements such as BodyFit, Melactiva, Nouritan, and MelanoBronze + Quad Tyrosine Blend.
If you’ve never seen the Ed Hardy or Tannovations products, we’ll take moment to describe what those components are. For example, BodyFit helps to make cellulite less noticeable. Next, Melactiva stimulates pigment production in your skin. Next, Nouritan produces more tyrosine to help your skin cells hold their color for longer. And finally, MelanoBronze + Quad Tyrosine Blend also promote melanin production to make your skin darker, faster.
Ink By Ed Hardy Tattoo & Color Fade Moisturizer Tan Extender
The Ink tanning lotion by Ed Hardy is a tan extender to apply after you’re done the session and showered. It contains shea butter to moisturize the skin without making it feel greasy. It also has anti-aging superpowers ranging from lotus extract to vitamins C and E. Customers say they like the tasty fragrance, the lightweight whipped texture, and how it makes their tattoos appear fresh and bright.
Ed Hardy #Beachtime Tanning Lotion
The #Beachtime tanning lotion is perfect for both indoors and outdoors. There are no bronzers so any color you achieve is all-natural. This one uses coconut oil and coconut milk, seaweed, and hibiscus. This combination of ingredients detoxifies and firms your skin to make it look younger and healthier. Meanwhile, the Tattoo and Color Fade Protector helps make sure that your skin and tats stay crisp and clear.
Devoted Creations #TANLIFE Hydrating Tanning Butter
The #TANLIFE Tanning Butter is made for people with sensitive skin. Not only is it hypoallergenic, but it’s formulated with shea butter, one of nature’s best moisturizers. The formula has tattoo and color fade protection, wrinkle reduction from AcquaCell and RevitaFit, as well as other anti-aging ingredients.
Devoted Creations Color Karma
Get your glitter on with the Color Karma. It’s an instant bronzer that has golden sparkles. Best of all, it’s great for reducing shine on oily skin and reducing redness. Tiger Grass and Japanese Rose stop skin blemishes and shrink pores. Also, while the tanning lotion prevents your tats from fading, it makes you sparkle with crushed gems.
Jwoww Shore Nights Bronzer Tanning Lotion
The JWOWW Shore Nights Bronzer acts to shield your tattoos with the Ink Drink Complex of beeswax, raspberry, shea butter, and vitamins. At the same time, erythrulose, black walnut, and DHA all work together to bronze you now and strengthen your color. Also, caffeine, avocado, fruits, and yogurt soothe the skin to help you look stunning.
Australian Gold G Gentlemen Black Bronzer Tanning Bed Lotion
Australian Gold created this lotion specifically for guys with tattoos. It has a manly scent called “Rugged.” Besides preventing the ink color from fading, it also provides instant color and helps firm the skin.
Ed Hardy Sorry Not Sorry, Extreme 50X Black Bronzer
The Sorry Not Sorry bronzing lotion also mattifies the skin to give you a fresh, clean, and soft feeling. It has high levels of cosmetic bronzers and DHA. In other words, when you apply it you’ll look like you’ve been tanning. After a few hours, you’ll be even darker.
It has the standard Tattoo and Color Fade Protection blend that’s found in most Ed Hardy lotions. Moreover, it nourishes the skin with aloe, cucumber, and avocado.
Devoted Creations Camo Queen Bronzing Lotion
The Camo Queen by Devoted Creations does a little bit of everything all at once. To start, cosmetic bronzers make you look ready for the beach. Next, DHA makes sure your color gets deeper. At the same time, it helps to prevent tattoos from fading while it tightens the skin to reduce fine lines and cellulite. In other words, it somehow manages to moisturize and mattify while boosting your beauty.
European Gold Dark Star 100X Ultra Indoor Tanning Deep Wave Bronzing Technology
The European Gold Dark Star lotion has something they call a “tattoo enhancing formula.” It makes your tattoos look more vivid. That’s a bonus because tanning could muddy their appearance, especially if the lotion contains bronzers.
Panama Jack Sunscreen Tanning Lotion – SPF 4
This lotion also uses a tropical fragrance and comes in handy to help prevent the after-tanning smell. Besides that, it gives protection to your tattoos and diminishes skin redness caused by blemishes. Tanning accelerators like tyrosine speed up the pigmentation process while Advanced Matrixyl Synthe 6 slows down the skin’s aging process.
Devoted Creations CAMO KING Black Bronzing Lotion
The guys’ version is called Camo King. The only difference we noticed between it and the other one is the fragrance. There’s also the fact that they say it uses a body deodorizing system.
Dave’s Dark Self Tanner Sunless Tanning Lotion with Bronzer
Dave’s Dark Self Tanner is a professional style tanning lotion. It hydrates your skin to help keep colors vibrant. While you savor the fruity floral fragrance, aloe and sesame combined with jojoba oils keep your body touchably soft. Even after you’re done with the tanning bed, DHA deepens your skin color.
Devoted Creations MERMAID MAJESTY Cooling Bronzer
The Mermaid Majesty is a cooling lotion that has bronzer. Instead of a hot tingle, it nourishes and refreshes your body. The instant bronzers handle that pasty complexion while tattoo protectors keep your body art sharp and clear.
Other exotic ingredients to take note of include Hawaiian seaweed, Sea Buckthorn, and starfruit. These three ingredients pamper your skin with moisture and nourishment.
Supre SNOOKI GIRL BOSS Ultra Dark Bronzer
The Girl Boss tanning lotion uses very dark bronzers that look best if you already have a solid base tan. It has DHA that manages to deepen color for hours afterward. Of course, tattoo-protecting ingredients such as aloe, minerals, and algae keep body art bright. Also, age-defying ingredients like hibiscus and lotus help to reduce fine lines and prevent wrinkles.
Hempz MEN EXCLUSIVE BLACK BRONZER
Hempz has this vegan tanning lotion with everything you need in it. It’s lightweight and not greasy. The reason for this is that it relies on hemp seed oil to condition your skin. A natural black bronzer and DHA gives your skin a boost of color before and after you tan. Even better, the Tattoo ColorShield Technology keeps ink from fading. Lastly, it also has anti-aging ingredients like black bamboo, hempseed oil, and mushroom extracts to prevent photodamage. This is important because guys get wrinkles, too.
Tan Asz U TANIJUANA BLACK 200XXX Bronzer
Tan Asz U features a Tattoo Enhancing Complex with ultra-moisturizing hemp seed oil to make your tats appear crisp. Instant bronzers and DHA give you a rich bronze before and after the tan.
SunGodz Indoor Tanning Lotion
SunGodz has all the bases covered here. It features a clean fresh scent that appeals to both guys and girls. Along with that, the product is very protective of tattoos. The natural black bronzer won’t streak or make you look orange, and it won’t run off in the shower. This means that if you’re in a hurry to go somewhere after tanning, you don’t need to worry about losing the benefits of your new lotion.
Australian Gold SPF 50 Tattoo Stick
If you’re not sure that tanning lotion will be enough to protect your tattoos, cover them up with this SPF 50 tattoo stick. The convenient pocket-size stick helps to prevent discoloration of the ink. It’s also safe to use indoors on a tanning bed.
Conclusion
Having a tattoo doesn’t mean that you should avoid UV rays. There are still lots of tanning lotions for tattoos that give protection and prevent your ink from fading.
It’s a good idea to let new tattoos heal before you expose the skin to ultraviolet radiation. But after that, you can enjoy tanning indoors or outside with any of our recommended picks today.
Related: