Sun Tan Lotion Without Sunblock-What Does It Do?

There used to be “dark tanning oil” made of tropical oils like coconut. I always thought they concentrated the sun’s rays to give a darker tan. But, yes, we would slather on a thick layer of oil and lay in the sun to get browned. Some people just used baby oil because it was cheaper but then you smelled like a baby’s butt.

I can’t believe nobody pointed out Kramers “Tanning Butter”. (skip to 2:14)

As for olive oil…A couple of ten years ago I worked as a manager for a VERY Italian family of restauranteurs. The matriarch and spry 97 year old Nanna Rosa, was showing me some dough techniques…when we oiled the dough before resting it she took her oiled hands and rubbed it on bot her face and hand. She saw me looking astounded and exclaimed, how do you think I keep this beautiful skin, and she did, for a 97 yr old, have beautiful skin.

Yes, as recently as the early 90s I remember most brands of suncream came in three strengths: factor 4, factor 8 and factor 15. Factor 15 was the max-strength stuff: the bottle basically recommended it for babies, albinos, Scots and other total wusses, and suggested you step down to the lower strengths after a day or two.

The non-SPF “sun-tan lotions” I always assumed were just oil-based moisturiser to help stop your skin drying out and peeling.

I’m convinced I read something a couple of years ago about how companies weren’t going to be allowed to put anything above SPF-45 on their labeling because it didn’t really mean much to go higher and it was misleading to consumers, but I’m having a hard time finding anything to back me up.

Sunblock lotions work by reflecting sunlight. Since olive oil (and all vegetable oils for that matter) leave a shiny reflective surface when applied on the skin, they probably work similarly to a sunblock lotion.