I haven't used Elemis tan accelerator myself, but I've used other top range products like Decleor and Gatineau, I've also used the "Eco tan" accelerator.
Being a mature woman, I actually like the Gatineau accelerator because it contains an ingredient called "Melatogenine", which is a range of Gatineau products supposed to be aimed at my age group...I buy the big 400mls bottle for less than £40 and in terms of ml for ml value, this works out cheaper than Elemis which is only 125mls tubes.

I use other Elemis products, I adore the bath milk, the smell is divine and it can be used in the bath or neat straight out of the bottle as an intense moisturiser, and IMO it's worth its weight in gold for dry skin conditions and it makes an excellent after-sun, albeit a bit pricey, but when you've been sun bathing your skin needs extra loving care.
All of Elemis products vary on "shelf-life" depending on the specific ingredients they contain, their philosophy is to use natural essential oils and natural preservatives, so does anybody know the shelf life of Elemis tan accelerator,? it should have a little symbol on the tube stating the time from being opened, usually in months.

I don't know why Elemis have incorporated a SPF 4 into the product, in terms of "protection" an SPF of 4 is about as useful as a hole in the head.
Gatineau tan accelerator doesn't have any SPF, so they tell you to use for 2 weeks before the holiday, use during the holiday as a moisturiser and to keep the tan lasting to use when you come back.
I think they're actually saying use the entire product up, which is what I do because once opened most sun care products want dumping from one year to the next, and the "recommended shelf life" will depend on where you have stored the product.

Me personally, during the holiday I use the tan accelerator after I've had a shower because your skin will be nice and clean, and the pores open from the warm water, this will aid the absorption, I use it as an "extra" moisturiser and wait for a little while before applying after-sun or whatever "main" moisturiser that I'm using.

Sanji

Hi ...has anyone tried p20, i was wondering if it is any good as my teenage sons seen to think one coating a day is all they need, and i have to nag all holiday ,this p20 would be great as 1 aplication lasts all day....

We used it in Egypt last month but not until the second week of our holiday just to make sure our skin was weathered enough and although you can use it once a day it does say if it's extremely hot and you are in and out the water a lot, burn easily, it woulld be advisable to use more than once.

It was around 45 degrees in Egypt so we used it twice a day. None of us got burnt while using it.

I think you just have to be sensible and never underestimate the power of the sun. My elder boys hate having sun cream applied so it was ideal for them. Just remember the activation time is 15 minutes and not to go in the sun until the time is up as it needs to bind with te skin to get the protection.

Some of the older bottles of P20 which I have seen in the likes of More Store and some other bargain shops still have the 90 minutes activation time which is no good when you're on holiday and want to get out.

Hope that helps.

Emma

Thanks for that Emma...i will have to get some but like you said twice a day as they are always in the pool, do you think 2 bottles each would be enough
kathy

If it's just for the second week I would get a couple each, if it's for the whole two weeks I would get more to be on the safe side.

I got such a bargain with mine. My sister works in a chemist and they reduced all their 100ml p20 down to £2.95, so she got me all they had. ( Then 2 days later she found 4, 200ml bottles pushed to the back of a drawer, so I told her I'd have them too. They were reduced to £2.49 each!! With her staff discount of 22% I well and truly had a bargain. Got a feeling they won't be stocking it next year and I'm gutted.

Happy holidays.

Great bargain emma .....as it is exspensive, last time i looked i think it was about £10 a small bottle

Kathy, I decided to use once a day sun creams this year for my teenage children, as I knew that I wouldn't be seeing them much. I used Uvistat for my son and Piz Buin once a day for my daughter. If I did see them during the day, I would quickly top them up but very often I didn't!

I thought they were both excellent, as neither of them burnt or went red. This was in Turkey and it was very hot and they were in the sun all day.

Hi starry...I didn't no there were other brands that do the once a day products, i will have a look at those. and as for them going of on there own mine will ditch us ,i never thought of that mine would not remember to top up kathy

Soltan also do a once daily sun cream. Has great write ups in The Times newspaper too. Just googled it.

Also, on our flight in the duty free section, there was a product called ultrasun and that's just once a day. Can't remember how much it was but was fairly reasonable as it was 200ml bottles. Think it was 2 for £30 or £17 each. I've got a friend who uses this every time she goes away and never burns. John Lewis sell it too.

The Boots Soltan once-a-day product is really good and goes up to SPF40, so is great for kids. My son (red hair, freckles etc) has used it the last few holidays and has had no problems. My daughter uses the Piz Buin once-a-day stuff, starting with the SPF30 in the first few days, and then going down to the SPF15.
I like the Boots and Piz Buin once-a-day products because they both come in good range of SPFs to suit different skin types.

Ooops, just seen stemma's post and realised it was Ultrasun that my son used (bought in Waitrose) and not uvistat. Will definitely use this again He has eczema and it didn't irritate his skin at all.

Thanks everyone.....I've just looked at the boots website and they have got b.o.g.o.f on soltan once a day f40 250 ml for £18.99 ,so i think i'll get some put to away, i dont go away till june but if i leave it till then they won't be on offer and i think i will need about 6 just for the kids. kathy

kat68 wrote:

i dont go away till june but if i leave it till then they won't be on offer

I think you'll find Boots Soltan is on BOGOF almost all year round, and always in the summer months Wait until April/May and then you'll get fresh new products (instead of stuff that's been on the shelves all winter) in plenty of time for your holiday.

Thanks ... I will leave it till nearer the time ,just me being to organised,can't wait till after christmas when all the summer clothes come in to the shops ,i just love buying for my hols ...kathy

i can vouch for the Piz Buin once a day sachets
used them in greece this year and they worked for my hubby, who usually uses P20, have a look in your boots chemist as io bought mine from there reduced down to £3.24 for eight sachets SP15

hi LIindy.......i didn't no they did sachets they would be good to stick in your bag when out and about
i'll have to get some of those ..... ..kathy

i loved the elemis, used it on my 2nd holiday, didnt burn, or peel, and the tan has stayed for longer now i am home, would definatly use again......oh, and i didnt get prickly heat

Hi

You can often get Piz Bin sachets,etc off e-bay,thats where I got some this year.

Hi, have been reading about "Elemis" sounds good, does anyone know where i can buy it and how much it is??

I live in Glasgow, Scotland.

Cheers!

xxx