Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan | Review & Photos

We’ve all been there. You decide fairly last minute that you’re going ‘out out’ and have to start a rushed attempt at getting ready. You’re paler than Pale Gail the Paleontologist and realise with horror that you’ve fully run out of instant wash-off tan.

You now have two options: 1, you go out pale. That’s not happening, obviously. So 2, you risk putting on a layer of normal developing tan and just not washing it off, figuring that the club’s dark anyway so it doesn’t matter if you progressively get more tanned throughout the night. Then you see the pictures the next day and realise you started the night as a bronzed goddess and ended up looking like Sir Trevor McDonald. 

Well thankfully – no offence Trev – those nights are now in the past.

Cocoa Brown fake tan, developed by Irish beauty expert Marissa Carter, promises to give you a golden glow that develops in just 1 hour. I was really excited when I first heard about this; it effectively could mean the end of overnight tanning sessions and maybe, just maybe, mean that I can allow myself to have white bedsheets again for the first time since I was 15.

I was in Primark last week and finally remembered to pick up a bottle. I’ve tried it out twice now and can confirm: it’s really bloody good.

Cocoa Brown is a mousse, which is my favourite form of fake tan anyway as I find that it tends to apply more evenly and with less mess than sprays or liquids. It’s also got a pale coffee colour to it, which is dark enough that you can see where you’re applying the tan but not so dark that you have heart palpitations when some drops on your cream carpet. 

A lot of the reviews I’ve read so far of the tan have commented on the smell – or shall we say, lack thereof. Cocoa Brown is missing the traditional biscuity smell that we all know and love; it’s lightly fragranced but nothing too overpowering – and certainly doesn’t smell like a Custard Cream.

But enough chit chat, WHAT ABOUT THE RESULTS?

Before Application / After Application

As you can see, the tan left me with a lovely, even coat of colour after just one hour of development. It’s not the darkest tan in the world, but I think this is still really good for one layer and of course you can layer up. The tan also gets darker the longer you leave it on for, with the Cocoa Brown website saying that three hours is all that’s needed for a dark glow.

The tan dries quickly and doesn’t feel at all sticky, and after one hour you’re ready to wash off and get on with your life. Having first used it last week I can say that it’s one of the best cases of fading I’ve experienced with fake tan; whereas St Moriz can go very speckly and leave you looking a bit like you’ve got some sort of disease, Cocoa Brown fades nice and evenly.

At £6, it’s not as cheap as brands like St Moriz – but I do think the formula’s got the edge here. Overall I’m completely impressed and a total convert to the Cocoa Brown brand. So that’s another reason for me to pop into Primark each time I’m in town – farewell, funds.

Have any of you tried Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan? What do you think?

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