The day I left Italy for the UK, I welcomed a new life and said ‘goodbye’ to my glowy tan, the result of many weeks at the beach. In the quest for my lost sun-kissed skin, I gave MooGoo a go with its How Now Brown Cow natural gradual tanning cream.
I wished to be bronze, not a cow. What’s the missing link between cows and MooGoo How Now Brown Cow gradual and all-natural tanning cream?
MooGoo How Now Brown Cow natural gradual tanning cream: product and packaging
The name says it all: MooGoo How Now Brown Cow is a natural gradual tanning cream in a 120-ml squeezable tube. Cows? MooGoo is an Australian skincare company which has nothing to do with cows, for its product at least. By chance, the future founder spotted his mom using a moisturising cream for cows’ udders to soothe her psoriasis. He reformulated the cream for humans, so MooGoo was born, the cruelty-free way.
Formula
MooGoo How Now Brown Cow is a natural-based tanning product, and it’s free from parabens, paraffin, phenoxyethanol, artificial colourants and preservatives. Instead, it uses vitamin E and hops extracts to prolong its shelf-life. This product has been developed to avoid bad smells and the anti-aesthetical orange hue typical of many self-tanners. The formula is highly hydrating and gradually tanning.
MooGoo’s tan isn’t a fake colour nor a washable tint, but it results from a natural chemical process. MooGoo How Now Brown Cow develops a tan thanks to two natural ingredients that interact with your skin. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) makes your keratine turn brown; while the erythulose (a sugar) gives your skin a more golden hue. The product provides you with a decent source of hydration with oils like sweet almond, coconut and olive oil. The formula also has soothing, nourishing and anti-oxidant properties thanks to aloe vera, milk proteins, green tea tree extracts (ECGC catechins) and vitamin E.
Texture & scent
Not to make you feel hungry but MooGoo How Now Brown Cow has the dense, creamy texture and creamy colour of a dulce de leche without its sugary crystals! Its scent is difficult to describe and (very) slightly reminds me of other tanning creams, except for its herbal/grainy smell.
How to use MooGoo Natural Gradual Tanning Cream:
MooGoo natural gradual tanning cream is recommended on previously exfoliated and clean skin for best results. It can be spread without a tanning glove, but hands must be washed straight away. It can be massaged on both body and face until it’s fully absorbed. After 3 hours, the process is complete, and you can wash again.
PROS:
- it’s delicate on the skin;
- moisturising;
- buildable (results);
- cruelty-free;
- free from parabens and harsh chemicals;
- it tans naturally and gradually;
- tans fast;
- contains natural ingredients;
- creates a golden brown hue;
- doesn’t clog pores;
- it has a convenient package.
CONS:
- it has a particular scent;
- it can develop a body smell (less compared to other creams);
- skin needs extra hydration as you stop using the cream.
‘I wish to be bronze, not a cow’ – I stated just above. I did finally ‘tan’ without the sun, it was the first time in years! This tanning cream spreads with ease and starts acting as soon as you apply it. Hopefully, the colour isn’t strongly orange, but I needed to wash my hands as fast as the light. This product beats any time records but can stain your nails.
MooGoo natural ingredients start a reaction as soon as they reach the skin. If by mistake a portion of your skin isn’t covered, you can quickly see the difference and sort it with a quick touch-up. As you get familiar with this tanning cream, you’ll develop your own technique. I spread it in sectors (ex. left leg, then right leg, followed by left thigh and right thigh… then arms and forearms). I wash my hands as soon as I finish a portion of my body.
Extra tip
If you exercise or do yoga on a mat, your knees and elbows will be likey thicker and rougher, hence darker than the rest of your body. Skip these areas during your very first application, to let your body catch up with the missing colour.
To get these results: I applied MooGoo natural gradual tanning cream every other day. I could see a striking difference after the first application! Then I continued for 5 days in a row, and I got that golden brown hue that reminded me of a real sunbath in Italy. For an optical illusion, tanned skin doesn’t look just glowy and healthy but also firmer!
I recommend applying every day, twice a day, your favourite body oil and lotion to keep your skin moist and elastic. You’ll need this when you stop the application, and your skin starts losing pigments. At this point, your skin will look odd, and you’ll need exfoliation and hydration. In fact, after my tanning cycle, my skin started to look uneven and dry. To some extent, it reminds me of the inglorious end of my natural, Mediterranean tans without skin peeling off (thank God).
Tokyo Collection S/S 2019
Let’s talk about odour, the most annoying side of gradual tanners. MooGoo promises an odour-free product. MooGoo How Now Brown Cow has a proper odour that doesn’t last too long. However, it can develop into a skin odour when applied for several days in a row. This smell feels worse if you exercise or sweat and, here again, this reminds of what the skin smells like when you sunbathe for days in a hot environment. It isn’t pleasant, but it’s not chemical-like. This cream isn’t comedogenic, and just rare clogged pores may occur on your body.
MooGoo How Now Brown Cow natural gradual tanning cream is made in Australia but available worldwide and costs £12.50 (€13.95).
Not too cheap, but not expensive. Of the many solutions for tan and glowy skin (I tried tanning mousse, gradual tanners and in-shower creams), MooGoo solution is the most gentle and the less smelly. But first of all, it’s the fastest and the most natural-looking even with its pros and cons. If someone asks you ‘have you been outdoors?’ and you’re still in lockdown, it means you look very tan! So it happened to me, so MooGoo works!
Valentina Chirico aka Valens
