Self-tan is a safe tan, but not all fakes are created equal. From years of experience, I’ve found that far too many fake tans leave my skin dry, tight and uneven. When that faux glow turns legs into crusty tiger bread and sloughs away as orange-tinted dandruff, it’s hardly the stuff of summer dreams.
That’s why I my curiosity was piqued by the newly-reformulated Dove Sunless Tan, now known in full as Summer Revived Sunkissed Glow Pro-Ceramides. Rather than simply promising a healthy-looking glow, Dove says its iconic gradual tan now actually encourages your skin to produce more of its own ceramides, helping it hydrate itself. Yes, a self-moisturising tan! (And starting from £4.50 for the smaller 75ml size, while the 200ml is currently on sale for a fiver at Boots.)
Dove Summer Revived Medium to Dark Gradual Tan Lotion
However, I’ll admit I was sceptical my heart could ever be won by a slow glow. I’m old enough to remember when the original Dove Sunless Tan launched at the height of the gradual tan boom – back when the tan-wary were happy to wait four days for a discernible glow. To my mind, all these hybrid body lotions were a bit meh.
The lack of scare factor was outweighed by the fact your mini-break would be over by the time you felt passable in a white strappy vest. (Plus they still smelled of DHA – except instead of one intense hit of damp dog biscuits, a hint of it hung over you for days)
The 2026 version sounds more promising. There's a separate medium to dark version for a faster result, but the real update is the skincare. Dove says its pro-ceramide technology doesn't simply moisturise the skin like a regular body lotion. Instead, it supplies the building blocks your skin needs to produce more of its own ceramides.
‘Rather than simply sitting on the skin's surface like topical ceramides, this technology feeds skin the precursors necessary to fuel its own ceramide production,’ says Dove.
The result, it says, is softer, better-hydrated skin and a smoother, more even tan. You tan on top, but you glow from within.
Dove Summer Revived Light to Medium Gradual Tan Lotion
I decided to put it to the test. Mostly because it was the only untinted fake tan in my cupboard, and I'd just received an earful from my husband after leaving a guide-colour bum print on our white toilet seat.
Application couldn't have been easier. It glides on exactly like a rich body lotion and, to my nose at least, it never developed that telltale fake tan smell. What it did develop was a glow – and surprisingly quickly.
By the following day I already had a subtle but noticeable tan. Another day, another dollop and I’d reached the ‘you look well, were you out in the garden?’ stage from friends. As someone who’s a renowned fake tanner, I was thrilled that nobody asked if it had come from a bottle. The colour, plus the heatwave, made it entirely believable.
Three days of application gave me the perfect golden tan. Normally I'd say that's two days too long to spend fake tanning, but the way my skin felt completely changed my mind. My triceps were silky. My calves felt strokeable. Applying it each day felt like a pleasure, not a chore.
As for Dove's self-moisturising claims? I can't do a tot-up of my ceramides, but I can certainly confirm that my limbs continued to feel super-soft, even on days when I hadn't applied it. (I took a break to avoid tipping into Claudia Winkeman territory!) It's a joy for dry midlife skin like mine – there's no sign of flaking and it's easy to top up evenly.
In fact, it's so good I’ve totally revised my opinion on gradual tan. It's not the quickest route to a bronzed glow, but my skin has never felt so gloriously cocooned and cared for with a tan.
Sometimes, good things really do come to those who wait.
