Summer has a unique, unforgettable atmosphere that we all look forward to every year. The scent of the sea, warm air on your skin, slow evenings and that feeling when, after the first sunny days, the colour of your skin starts to change beautifully. Many women long for a lovely bronze tan, yet they don't want their skin to look dry, tired or irritated after the holiday — and that is exactly why tan activators have been talked about so much more in recent years.
Even so, many women still don't know what a tan activator actually is, how it works and how it differs from a classic sun product with SPF. It often happens that women confuse an activator with a self-tanner or expect it to protect the skin from the sun automatically. The truth, however, is far more interesting.
A tan activator doesn't work on the principle of protecting the skin or colouring it artificially. Its role is to support the natural tanning process. It helps the skin stimulate the production of melanin – the pigment that makes skin darken in the sun. The better prepared the skin is for sunlight, the more beautifully, more evenly and often more quickly it can tan. And this is where one of the biggest differences between an SPF product and a tan activator arises.
A tan activator does not contain SPF
This is probably the most common misunderstanding, one that many women aren't aware of. Many women think a tan activator serves as protection from the sun, but its role is completely different. SPF products protect the skin from UV radiation and help minimise burning, skin damage, the appearance of pigment spots and premature ageing. That is exactly why SPF protection is an absolute foundation of every summer skincare routine.
A tan activator, on the other hand, supports the tanning process itself. It helps the skin stimulate the production of melanin – the pigment that makes skin darken in the sun. A quality activator therefore doesn't act as a self-tanner and won't turn you brown in a few minutes. Its role is to prepare the skin for the sun and support a natural, even and more intense tan.
This is precisely why SPF and a tan activator don't rule each other out — quite the opposite, ideally they complement each other. It is, however, very important to layer the products correctly. The sun product with an SPF factor should be applied to the skin first, protecting the skin from UVA and UVB radiation, from burning and from premature ageing. Only afterwards do you apply the tan activator, which supports the tanning process itself and gives the skin a beautiful bronze effect.
Many of you may still worry that if you use a product with SPF you won't tan at all, yet the opposite is true. Skin can tan beautifully even while using SPF protection — simply in a healthier, safer and more controlled way. What's more, the tan tends to be more even, it lasts longer, and after the summer the skin doesn't look so dry or tired. The combination of SPF protection and a quality tan activator is considered today to be the ideal way of modern, healthier tanning.
Not every activator is the same
The days when the goal was to lie for hours in direct sun without any care at all are thankfully gone, and modern women want more from tanning. They long for healthy skin, hydration, a natural bronze tone, a glow effect and products without unnecessary chemistry. They want their skin to look beautiful not only during the holiday, but also after coming home.
For this reason, natural tan activators have come to the fore. Unlike many classic sun products, they don't work merely with the effect of oily skin in the sun. They contain plant oils, antioxidants and active substances that nourish the skin during tanning and help it cope with the sun's demands far better. A great many ordinary sun products contain synthetic fragrances, mineral oils or ingredients that burden the skin needlessly. The result is often dry skin, flaking or a feeling of tightness after tanning. Natural activators work differently — they not only support the skin while it tans, but at the same time help it keep its hydration, suppleness and healthy look.
Why women have quite simply fallen in love with OREŠÁK
If there is one product that becomes a fixture of holiday suitcases every summer, it is Orešák. A great advantage of Orešák is the way its base ingredient is made: a hand-prepared macerate of green walnuts in organic olive oil from ecological farming. Green walnuts are traditionally known for supporting a darker, more intense and deeper tan.
An extract of the golden seaweed Laminaria ochroleuca also helps soothe the skin, support its elasticity and shield it from external influences during intense sunbathing. Combined with plant oils, Orešák therefore acts not only as a tan activator, but also as nourishing summer skin care.
And what about the URUCUM activator?
Many of you often find yourselves asking: „Should I choose Orešák or Urucum?“
Although both products support a beautiful tan, their base ingredient works completely differently. While Orešák works mainly with walnut extract and a bronze effect, Urucum is built on the tropical plant annatto – known as urucum. It comes from the Amazon rainforest and for centuries indigenous tribes have used it to shield the skin and to colour the body or hair. Thanks to its high content of natural pigments and carotenoids, urucum has become one of the most beloved ingredients in products that support tanning.
An enormous advantage of urucum is its extremely high beta-carotene content — it contains as much as a hundred times more than classic carrot oil. That is exactly why it can support melanin production so effectively, prepare the skin for the sun and help you achieve a natural, golden and long-lasting tan. Besides that, urucum is rich in a number of trace elements such as zinc, magnesium, calcium, copper and selenium, which help shield the skin from oxidative stress and premature ageing. Urucum is therefore adored by women who prefer a natural sun-kissed effect instead of a very dark bronze. Orešák, on the other hand, is ideal for those who want a more striking, deeper and more intense holiday tan.
Oil or butter?
This is another thing many women don't realise. It really does matter whether you use an oil or a butter for tanning in summer. Oil activators are lighter, they spread beautifully and create that typical glossy summer glow on the skin. They are ideal for intense sunbathing by the pool or the sea. Skin looks radiant and bronzed with them.
Butters work a little differently. They have a richer consistency, they nourish the skin more and help lock hydration into it. They are perfect for women with dry skin or for those whose skin tends to flake after sunbathing.
The right care matters most
Beautiful bronzed skin today isn't the result of chance — it is the result of hydration, quality ingredients and well-chosen products that don't burden the skin needlessly during summer. That is why natural tan activators are sought after more and more: alongside the tan itself, they also take care of nourishment, skin elasticity, hydration, protection from drying out and a healthier look to the skin.
It is very important to realise that tanning isn't about how dark the skin is, but about how healthy it looks. In the end, the most important sign of a good tan is that after the holiday the skin doesn't sting, doesn't burn and doesn't look tired. On the contrary, it stays soft, radiant and healthy even after days spent in the sun. And that is exactly why Orešák and Urucum are the biggest bestsellers of the summer. Whether you choose the intense bronze effect of Orešák or the natural golden tan of Urucum, what matters most is that your skin is radiant and, above all, healthy. So that you feel protected, beautiful and completely yourself.