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Tuscan Tan supplies to salons throughout Australia and Internationally.

Article: Models embrace the tan in a can

6 September 2009

The models are under strict orders from their agents that the only way to get a tan is to fake it.

Samantha Fitzpatrick, of Tuscan Tan, which wholesales spray-tanning solutions and equipment to tanning and beauty salons and day spas, says her business has tripled in the past year.

''It's gone absolutely crazy … ever since Clare's death. No one wants to go to a solarium any more, but they still want a natural-looking tan that is safe,'' she said.

''Every beauty salon and day spa seems to offer a spray-tan service now, which wasn't the case a few years ago. We're also seeing a lot of solariums either moving completely into spray tans or adding spray-tan booths for customers who no longer want to use a sunbed.''

Since the Victorian Government introduced new sunbed regulations in February last year - including banning people under 18 and those with unsuitable skin types from solariums - more than 45 per cent of the state's tanning salons have shut their doors.

George Lihounas, managing director of Sunlounge solariums, says 50 per cent of his franchises in Victoria and NSW have closed in the past 18 months.

''There was so much bad publicity following Clare's death that it just scared people off completely.''

He was also forced to close his sunbed wholesaling business.

Mr Lihounas says the franchises that have remained open have diversified into other beauty services, including spray tanning and teeth whitening.

Alex Theaw, owner of Cocco Brown tanning salon in Glen Huntly, says he has reduced his sunbeds by 60 per cent as more people opt for spray tans. ''Two years ago we had seven machines. Now we have three. Everyone is too scared to use them … in that time our spray-tan business has doubled,'' he says.

Alex Zotos, principal at Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College, says there has been a ''massive explosion in demand'' for the college's spray-tanning courses.

''Over the past two years it's gone completely crazy. The number of people doing our courses has tripled. We're getting lots of people coming in from all walks of life with existing careers who are setting up small spray-tan businesses from home, after hours, or running mobile spray-tanning services because there is so much demand.''

Suzy Righi, who has been running her Utan spray-tan business from her Prahran home for six years, says her business has also tripled since the awareness campaign following Ms Oliver's death.

''I can't tell you the impact that has had on my business. I have women coming in now who say, 'I used to go to the solarium but there's no way I would now','' she said.

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