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Sliced Bread

Fake Tans

Sliced Bread

BBC

Health & Fitness

4.6695 Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Listener Julie has been reaching for the fake tan every spring to add a "bit of colour" to her legs, but after much trial and error with foams, lotions and gels, she got in touch with Sliced Bread to ask what is actually IN fake tan? How does it work - and is there a particular kind that might suit her best?

Greg Foot is joined by Consultant Dermatologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester Dr Jean Ayer, as well as Cosmetic Scientist and Science Communicator who runs the blog LabMuffin Dr Michelle Wong, to find out. 

Each episode Greg investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread' and should you spend your money on them?

At Sliced Bread, we're hungry for your suggestions so we can keep making fresh batches! If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.

0:07.3

Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron.

0:10.5

Evil genius.

0:11.6

He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it.

0:15.5

That's like hiding at your own funeral.

0:17.1

Yeah, a bit great gig.

0:18.6

I'm Russell Kane.

0:19.6

Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius.

0:24.2

Becoming that rich, I'd say that is some level of genius.

0:26.4

It also helps that it's a long time ago, right?

0:29.4

It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream.

0:34.9

Listen to evil genius on BBC Sounds.

0:40.4

Hello, I'm Greg Foote and welcome to Slice Bread, the BBC Radio 4 show that investigates

0:44.8

the wonder products promising to make you happier, healthier or greener. Each episode, we follow

0:49.8

the crumbs of evidence to find out if one of your suggested wonder products is indeed the

0:53.9

best thing since sliced bread or marketing BS. And today's suggestion comes from crumbs of evidence to find out if one of your suggested wonder products is indeed the best

0:54.2

things since sliced bread or marketing BS. And today's suggestion comes from Julie from Surrey. Welcome

0:59.7

to the studio Julie. Hello, good morning. What would you like us to investigate today? Well,

1:04.4

I'd love you to investigate fake tans. I use them at the start of summer when I get my legs out for

1:10.0

the first time, just to add a little bit of colour. What type do you use? I've been using a fake tan for many years, so I've tried quite a few things. The first ones were sort of a spray on, effective but patchy. Now I just tend to buy whatever's cheapest in the supermarket. And have they worked? Some more than others. Some you have to

1:28.0

build up. Some are really patchy. You know, there's ones that you have to apply in a special way.

1:32.7

Helps if you shave your legs first, I think, Greg. Good to know. Taking notes. And is there anything

...

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