Study sees sunless tanner sales fall

NEW YORK Sales of sunless tanners declined by $10 million in 2007 from the previous year’s $191 million, according to a study by Mintel.

According to the study, 42 percent of consumers found the sunless tanners too difficult to apply, while 33 percent thought they didn’t look sufficiently natural.

At the same time, 61 percent of people who used sunless tanners did so for effectiveness and to save time, while 39 percent wanted to avoid overexposure to the sun and 16 percent use them instead of moisturizer.

Mintel is a market-research firm with offices in Chicago, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Australia, and Shanghai, China, as well as an associate office in Belfast, Northern Ireland.