Six steps to a perfect summer tan

Pre-tan preparation: Dr Barbara Sturm body brush

Whether skin is getting UV exposure or the incoming tan is fake, well exfoliated skin is a crucial base. For a salon or at-home spray tan, it’s also important to avoid any oil-based exfoliants, which rules out many body scrubs on the market. A body brush is the answer, and Dr. Barbara Sturm is a longtime advocate, pointing to benefits beyond merely removing dead cells from the surface of the skin. Dry brushing can boost your circulation, she says, and it discourages fluid retention. Best done on product-free skin prior to a shower, and twice a week should be enough for most purposes. £30, drsturm.com

Best for enhancing a natural tan: Tan-Luxe The Glow Illuminating Body Oil

The body oil from this cult favourite tanning brand (its self-tan “eraser” is also worth a try) is all about rehydrating skin that has been in the sun. Five key ingredients – jojoba, pomegranate, safflower seed, prickly pear and japonica seed oils – aim to hydrate skin and repair the skin barrier. Light-reflecting particles bring the glow, and it’s scented with a gender-neutral blend of bergamot, labdanum and cedarwood. It’s probably best as a supplement to safe holiday sun exposure, as the oils it contains may degrade a spray tan. £29 for 80ml, tan-luxe.com

Most innovative self-tanner: Dolce Glow Acqua Hydrating Face Mist 

Gradual tans are the safe option from an aesthetic perspective as well as a way of tanning without sun exposure. They drip feed colour onto the skin and the best – such as this Miley Cyrus-approved tan brand – work to counter the drying tendency of the active ingredient in tanners, dihydroxyacetone (commonly known as“DHA”). This face mist effects a dewy sheen despite the DHA, with cranberry extract to calm irritation, green tea leaf extract as an anti-inflammatory and sodium hyaluronate, a form of hyaluronic acid, as the all-important hydrator. It can be applied under make-up as a primer or over it as a setting spray and develops in about six to eight hours. £29 for 100ml, dolceglow.com

Best for fair skin: Vita Liberata

The fair-skinned fear DHA like the curly-haired fear the hairdresser – there will inevitably have been fake-tanning tragedies hidden in their history. For those who don’t want to stray too far from their alabaster roots, there is Northern Irish tanning brand Vita Liberata. The lightest of its salon spray tans will give a golden glow to flatter even the freckled, and for the really faint-at-heart, the brand’s at-home wash-off product, Body Blur Instant HD Skin Finish in Café Crème, is even less risky, smoothing out the appearance of the skin with a creamy wash of gentle milky tan. £29.95 for 100ml, vitaliberata.com

Best natural tanning drops: Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops

There’s lots of hype around these tanning drops, currently waitlist only at the main UK source, Cult Beauty. A summer add-on to existing skincare, they can be mixed with serums, oils and creams for an instant boost of colour that washes off at the end of the day. All-natural ingredients include cocoa extract for its polyphenols, marula and blackcurrant seed oils and vitamin F to replenish the skin barrier. Best for adding a touch of bronze to smaller areas like the face, décolletage and shoulders. £31 for 30ml, cultbeauty.co.uk

Best aftersun: Susanne Kaufmann Hyaluron Body Gel

Launched last year, Kaufmann’s lightweight formula is probably unbeatable as an aftersun product, with aloe vera and balloon vine to moisturise and strengthen the skin barrier, and menthol for a zingy, cooling effect. Also useful after shaving, and ideal after a spray tan too as it’s oil-free, it gives the skin a wonderful on-an-extended-holiday sheen. And like all Kaufmann products, it smells like heaven, if heaven were an Austrian mountaintop. £50 for 100ml, susannekaufmann.com