GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face & Body Natural Protein Tan Not Worth the $59

To many a tan is simply a natural part of life. You spend little time or energy in attaining a tan and do not understand the hype involved with self-tanning. To the rest of us, pale zombie-like individuals, self-tanners are like the search for a rare cure. In that search, I recently tried Fusion Beauty's new product, GlowFusion, which is the latest craze in self-tanning. The product claims to be a "revolutionary" self tanner that is not only odor-free and streak-free, but also delivers a customized shade. The marketing campaign for this product is enticing to say the least. Let me see - a self-tanner that not only gives me a perfect shade for MY skin, but is odor and streak-free! Being the self-tanning "expert" that I am, I quickly researched online to track down the product reviews for GlowFusion. At that time there were very few, so I decided to look past the high $59 price tag and purchased the product at my local Sephora. I excitedly returned home to try the new product. Like a robot, I moved through the necessary steps - shave, exfoliate, and moisturize - then prepared to tan.

Let me begin by describing the product. GlowFusion is a clear formula that is contained in essentially a spray bottle. You are then supposed to simply mist the product over your body and go. Well it was not quite that simple. I began misting and realized that the product dries faster than super glue and therefore you must spray and rub pretty much simultaneously. Within about 15 minutes I had covered my entire body with the mist and sure enough there was no odor and the product was completely dry. I went to bed thrilled with the possibility of having a gorgeous tan when I awoke. Eight hours later I woke and ran quickly to the mirror. I then nearly passed out! Over night I had become a walking zebra with a skin condition. I jumped in the shower in hopes of revealing a cleaner look, but to my horror I was left with my laughable appearance. Unfortunately, the tan was so horrible that I had to dress in pants and long sleeves for work (in 95 degree weather mind you) in an effort to hide my shame from my co-workers. I was mortified.

To say that this is the worst product that I have ever used is an understatement. Nothing this horrible should cost $59. I am ashamed of Fusion Beauty for producing such a falsely advertised product. Due to my extensive experience with self-tanning, I knew a few vital things that impacted the validity of GlowFusion. First, the product claims to be comprised of sugarcane therefore making the product natural. Dihydroxyacetone is one of the first ingredients listed on GlowFusion's ingredient list. It is derived from sugarcane and is in every self-tanner on the market. So even though the claim is not false, it comes across as sneaky marketing instead of showing the integrity of the product. The second major flaw is the product's claim to deliver a custom shade due to the formula's reaction to the keratin in your skin. It also declares that GlowFusion will last up to 14 days. Well, this is another major marketing mistake that Fusion Beauty made. The FDA will only approve dihydroxyacetone to be used on the skin if it does not penetrate further than the stratum corneum layer (dead skin layer). As most of us know, our dead skin is continually removed through showering, exercise, and the body's production of new skin cells among other things. So it would be nearly impossible for a product to be FDA approved and also last 14 days on any skin-type. These points, though minor, go far in disclosing the reason for my trouble with GlowFusion. It seems to me that this is really a $5 product stamped with a $59 price tag. So in conclusion, I should have known better than to fall for an excellent marketing campaign. As the old adage says, "anything that seems too perfect probably is…"