Tan-demic: Global shortage of fake tan could also impact makeup and hair dye supplies

The shortage of one key ingredient could see the supplies of many products dry up by January

Self-tan could be in short supply this Christmas, as well as some other popular cosmetic products

With Christmas parties looking likely for some of us this festive season, many will be reaching for their trusty fake tan to take the harshness off our work-from-home complexion. However, the shortage of one chemical could see empty shelves where your favourite tanning product once stood by the end of next month.

Ethoxydiglycol enables cosmetic products to be applied to the skin and it is a key ingredient in most fake tans. Without it, many cosmetic products would be unusable, including makeup, anti-ageing products, hair dye, shampoo, fragrances and shaving products.

It is used in popular tanning brands including St Tropez, Cocoa Brown and Bondi Sands. There is no obvious reason for the short supply, although it is likely to be related to other shortages currently experienced in the global supply chain. It is also speculated that the growth in the cosmetics industry throughout Asia Pacific could have swallowed up a large volume of the supply.

The shortage is likely to hit once current batch productions and supplies have been used, which could be as soon as the end of the year.

Diane Higham, managing director of one of Europe's largest self-tanning manufacturers, Sunjunkie.com, says the shortage of ethoxydiglycol is already impacting the tanning industry.

“We quietly manufacture some of Europe's largest fake tanning brands, as of yet, we are still desperately trying to source the ingredient from major US and European suppliers, which is already impacting our production line,” she says.

More seriously, the shortage could cause serious problems for medical treatments, particularly in topical creams for conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis.

“Ethoxydiglycol is almost single-handedly responsible for how cosmetics are applied to the skin. Without it, many cosmetic products as we know them would be unusable,” says Hussain Abdeh of Medicine Direct.

“Essentially, without ethoxydiglycol, cosmetics could end up causing more damage than good for a number of skin conditions. 

This problem can also cause serious problems for medical treatments, particularly in topical creams for conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis.

“Without an effective solvent, topical treatments will be hindered in their absorption, which will have the knock-on effect of hindering their healing properties. For anti-aging and acne treatments, the pores may become clogged and have a highly detrimental effect on the skin. Hair thinning treatments and medication for damaged hair will also be affected in a similar way.” 

Online pharmacy Medicine Direct investigated the shortage of ethoxydigylcol and found it has impacted a number of British and European cosmetics manufacturers and is expected to affect manufacturers in other countries in the next few weeks.

The decrease in supply has also seen a massive price hike from €14.34 ($16.41USD) to €122.11 ($139.73USD) for ethoxydigylcol and many suppliers are completely out of stock.

Without ethoxydiglycol, online pharmacy Medicine Direct says the quality risks of all kinds of cosmetics could be dire, resulting in issues such as:

• Patchy makeup that cannot be evenly applied to the skin and facial movements causing makeup to crack and fall off the skin 
• Hair dye that will streak the hair and wash out after only a couple of washes due to the hair’s inability to absorb the dye 
• Streaky and uneven fake tan that washes off after coming into contact with water 
• Anti-aging and acne treatments worsening the appearance of wrinkles and spots by drying out and clogging up the pores of the skin