This winter, Britain is facing a shortage of fake tan due to supply issues with a key ingredient.
Manufacturers of cosmetics are having difficulty importing an ingredient that is used in everything, from skin creams and hair dye to make-up, shampoo, and tanning lotions.
Ethoxydiglycol is used extensively in cosmetics products due to its ability to dissolve in oil- and water-based products.
There has been an almost ten-fold price increase for the shortage in recent weeks. Additionally, many suppliers are now out of stock.
Due to shortages of a key chemical, Britain will face a shortage in fake tan this winter
Diane Higham, director of Sunjunkie.com, said: ‘This is a total nightmare.
‘We are still desperately trying to source the ingredient from major UK and European suppliers, which is already impacting our production line.
‘For fake tan to remain on the skin and be resistant to water, the product must be able to absorb into the skin effectively. Without a good solvent, this may not be the case.’
Sunjunkie is a fake tan supplier based in Stockport which manufactures its own brand of self-tanning products.
Medicine Direct, an online pharmacy said that the shortage could have major consequences for cosmetics and may also affect the manufacturers of products to treat eczema.
Hussain Abdeh is the clinical director at Medicine Direct and also serves as superintendent pharmacist. He stated that ‘Ethoxydiglycol almost solely controls how cosmetics are applied on the skin.
“Without them, many cosmetics products would cease to exist as they are today.”
This problem could also lead to serious complications in medical treatments for conditions like acne, eczema or psoriasis.
He told iNews that topical treatments won’t absorb as well if there is no effective solvent.
Ethoxydiglycol has a wide range of uses in cosmetic products due to its ability to dissolve in oil and water.
Medicine Direct also found the price of ethoxydiglycol had rocketed from £12 to £103 a kilogram.
Nitin Sethi is the managing director at Ascot International. He stated that other ingredients used in fake tanning are in limited supply.
“A month ago, I ordered 10 metric tons of DHA. I received four tonnes by the end of this year.
He explained to the Guardian that his turnover was down as he is unable to sell enough stock.
Boots said its suppliers had not raised concerns about the supply of ethoxydiglycol and Superdrug declined to comment.