You might have seen it on the shelves of your local pharmacy, sitting quietly amongst the other, flashier tanners. You may have picked it up, intrigued, and noticed that it is natural, vegan and Australian made. Or, if you are like the thousands of other Australian women who have been buying The Bronzer for the last 20 years, you’re already part of the club. You already know. Because The Bronzer isn’t like the other newcomers to the market. It doesn’t have big billboards, or influencer campaigns. What it has is a loyal fanbase of thousands of Australian women – real women – who discovered its magic years ago and have never looked back.
The “realness” of The Bronzer is part of its charm. Even from its inception it was unassuming… it was there to offer a simple solution to a real woman’s problem. That woman was Sally Desancic. An industry icon in her own right, Sally spent years working for some cosmetic giants in management, and as a buyer. At the time, the unofficial uniform of the corporate world was a skirt suit and pantyhose… but Sally hated wearing pantyhose. And so, it was in trying to find a solution for this problem that the idea for The Bronzer was born.
It was the ‘90s and the self-tan movement was beginning to make its first rumblings, though at the time they were still much of a smelly, sticky novelty. But what Sally wanted to create was something different – and totally in its own class. She wanted to mimic the sheen and the colour of pantyhose, but also be able to take it off (or, wash it off as the case may be) at the end of the day. And so she created the first Australian instant tanner, and it was an instant success.
Launched from her family rumpus room, the palettes of orders soon filled up her front yard… which was about the time she knew she was really onto something. And the rest of Australia knew too, as it quickly gained the support of major retailers, and the cabinet space of both men and women across the country.
The idea may have been a simple one, but the formulation was anything but. A meticulously considered mix of high-quality ingredients enriched with many natural ingredients so as to optimise skin hydration, which is the key to flawless, streak-free application. Paraben free, fragrance free, crueltyfree and vegan, it was developed over two years because, simply, Sally wanted to get it right. And she did.
This year marks 20 years since The Bronzer was created, and in that time the formulation has remained unchanged, because Sally got it right from the beginning. With each year its fan club grows including everyone from professional dancers and actors, to everyday men and women who just want to look tanned, without ruining their skin (or their white sheets). It is the everyman, the everywoman tan, a simple, high quality, effective product that just works. This is why The Bronzer was made, and why to this day it remains Australia’s favourite way to tan.