Rainy, 43: How I Quit Self Tanners After 25 Years – Discovering the Hidden Skin Tone System

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Last updated: January 27, 2026

Rainy McQuaid, a 43-year-old skincare professional from Ireland went from chronically pale to vibrant skin tone in 10 weeks – without any UV damage – with one simple fix anyone can make.

Words by Jane Laurent

Email review and side-by-side before and after tan transformation photo.

Rainy has worked in the cutting edge of the skincare industry for over 20 years, training staff in anti-aging peptide companies and. pharmacies. Making a living on educating professionals on skincare products and supplements.

She knows what works and what doesn't.

But for decades, Rainy had a secret.

Even with all of her knowledge, she wore fake tan every single week for 25 years.

With a background in anti-aging, she luckily couldn’t get herself to use the cancer-causing tanning beds...

But she used self-tanners, got spray tans regularly.

Not because she loved the process.

But because she felt like there was no choice. Looking white as a ghost in meetings was not an option if she wanted to be taken seriously.

So her schedule was planned around tanning.

...When to wear certain clothes

When to scrub the skin-irritating chemicals off, just to start the process again the next day.

Then, around nine months ago, something changed:

For the first time since she was a teenager, Rainy stopped using fake tan completely.

Not because she gave up on having color.

Because she finally found something natural that worked.

An iceberg diagram comparing melanin and carotenoids, next to a woman's before and after photos after 10 weeks.

In 10 weeks, Rainy went from relying on self-tanners to being complimented by her dermatologist, and other skincare professionals at her work.

Her ex-husband – who'd seen her weekly routine for 15 years – couldn’t believe Rainy had given up fake tan.

He still doesn’t fully believe it…

Through Rainy’s story, this article will explain the exact reason why every tanning “solution” has failed people like her

Go through the exact changes that Rainy made in her routine to finally feel comfortable in her skin.

Explain how there's a clinically proven hidden mechanism behind skin tone.

A mechanism that has been ignored by big self-tanner companies for decades.

Until now.

Because now that mechanism is challenging the TWO BILLION dollar self-tanner industry.

(Yes, you read that right. The self-tan industry is projected grow to $2.3 Billion by 2030)

Infographic on self-tanning market growth, trends, and industry development with product images.

source: Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2025/04/19/glow-with-purpose-how-self-tan-became-skincares-sophisticated-power-player/)

Why Does Skin Tone Matter – The Study That Changed Everything

Before explaining the exact protocol Rainy used to finally escape the 25 year cycle, first we need to take a small step back.

Before the solution, we need to understand how skin tone actually works.

Groundbreaking research from world's leading neuroscientists and Oxford-trained perception psychologists

...findings that have been replicated in various studies and published in journals all over the world.

From the UK, to South Africa, from South Africa to Australia.

First the obvious:

It’s not a secret that people feel more confident with a vibrant, glowing skin, rather than being pale.

After all, clearly people are trying to fix something if there is a two billion dollar industry behind it:

But do we actually know why?

Why exactly do people feel confident with a vibrant, glowing skin?

...It makes your eyes look brighter, jawline sharper, bone structure more defined.

It evens out skin tone, hiding blemishes and imperfections.

But it’s more than just darkening the skin, more than just a personal preference.

It’s actually clinically proven that certain skin tones signal good health, genetics and vitality, and are seen as more attractive.

So the question goes:

What exactly are these skin tones, and what about them are seen as more attractive?

In 2015 researchers Lefevre and Perrett conducted a study titled Fruit over sunbed, that was published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

The Tone That Beat Paleness

The study looked into the real root cause behind skin tone and attractiveness in men and women, cross culturally.

Because the results are so astonishing, the original paper is linked at the bottom of the article for verification.

First, meet the authors:

Carmen Lefevre PhD, Neuroscience expert from the Centre of Decision Research at Leeds University

and

David Perrett PhD from Oxford University, the Head of the Perception Lab at University of St. Andrews.

When comparing identical face pairs, 79% of people prefer darker, melanin-rich versions over pale faces.

Same features. Same lighting. Same bone structure and facial expressions. Just a subtle shift in skin tone.

No surprise here. But the second finding surprised everyone:

In the second part of the study, they changed the warmth of the skin tone, not the darkness.

86% of people preferred the warm coloration over pale faces!

Almost 9 times out of 10!

So, not only was the warmth was preferred over paleness...

...the effect was stronger than darkness had over paleness.

But what is the biological mechanism in our bodies that affects the warmth of our skin tone?

Could this be the solution that Rainy found?

Rainy's Life-Changing Results

A before-and-after image of a woman, showing her with paler skin on the left and tanned skin on the right.

We'll go through Rainy’s finding in just a moment, but there’s one final part of the study that you need to understand before her solution makes sense:

The third – most groundbreaking part – was designed to find the real root cause, the real underlying biological mechanism behind attraction and skin tone:

So Lefevre and Perrett compared darkness to warmth.

…warm faces were chosen as more attractive 75% of the time!

3 out of 4 people preferred warmth over darkness.

For decades, people focused on getting darker, stimulating melanin. Yet, these results in front of us suggest that people have been focusing on the wrong system entirely.

But if it's not from sunlight, where does the warmth come from?

What is Rainy's secret?

The warmth of our skin tone is caused by nutrients called carotenoids. They are natural pigments present in colorful foods.

Carotenoids are not a new thing, not a chemical solution, not a new finding of the skincare industry.

They have existed for over a billion years in nature…

When eaten in large amounts, they accumulate in our skin layers.

And we already eat them every day!

Most modern diets just don't include enough of them to see the effects on our skin.

There are examples of carotenoid-coloration everywhere around us:

You know what makes flamingos pink?

It's not genetics. Baby flamingos are actually born grey. The pink color comes from their diet – shrimp and krill rich in carotenoids.

Carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes? The color comes from carotenoids.

Wild salmon gets its color from krill, but farm-raised salmon is actually grey until it’s fed carotenoid supplements.

Three salmon fillets with varying shades of pink and orange on a flat surface.

After finding the attractiveness of carotenoid mechanism...

...equally suprising effect was the subtlety!

Turns out that subtlety is actually a crucial part of the attractiveness of carotenoids!

And this is exactly what most people get completely wrong:

They think that attraction is about doing as much as possible...

...when it’s actually about doing as little as possible

Subtle warmth is seen as naturally vibrant and attractive...

... orange fake tan looks like you are trying way too hard.

Here’s an example of the pictures used in the study:

A side-by-side comparison of a woman's face, showing a before and after view of her skin.

Our brains are fine-tuned to see tiny differences in facial features.

Think about it:

Would you let someone else pick the shade of your foundation?

Of course not.

Because you would notice even if the tone was just slightly off

Because attractiveness isn’t shouting.

It’s whispering.

And people who fail to understand that, also have a hard time understanding why skin tone warmth is attractive.

...even if they had a scientific journal full of proof in front of them.

But if you are smart enough to understand these subtle mechanisms in our bodies,
the findings of Lefevre and Perrett make perfect sense:

There are two separate mechanisms of pigmentation.

And they both show people’s health choices on their skin:

→ What is Melanin-tan?

It's darkness, color from outside, your body’s stress response to UV-Damage.

→ What is Carotenoid-warmth?

It’s warmth, color from inside, your body’s health response to a colorful diet.

And when you understand the two systems behind skin coloration, it’s obvious why people are so unhappy with the tanning industry:

Because the “solutions” are cancer-causing tanning beds that fry your skin, trying to produce melanin by any means.

The “solutions” are smelling and staining chemical self-tanners trying to imitate melanin.

Focused on melanin mechanism, and ignoring the carotenoid mechanism that's proven to produce more attractive results.

Chasing melanin and using self-tanners while ignoring carotenoids is like going to a store and asking:

"Instead of the healthy, natural version, could I get the product with chemicals and cancer risk please?”

So carotenoids change skin tone – should I just change my diet?

That's an option, absolutely

And there are some people in he world who manage to do that.

But that's not what Rainy did.

Because there are two major problems:

First problem: Consistent Volume

For carotenoid-coloration, consistency is extremely important. It's not a crash diet, it's a long-term dietary change.

To get meaningful levels of mixed carotenoids from food, you'd need to eat large amounts of specific foods every day.

Expensive seafoods like wild-caught salmon and shrimp. Large quantities of vegetables like tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Expensive. Impractical. Very rare, but technically possible

People already struggle to eat the normal recommended doses of vegetables.

Unfortunately, adding three to four extra doses of specific foods every day is not realistic for most people to maintain.

Most people with visible, consistent carotenoid-warmth in their skin use supplements. Just like most of the studies around carotenoids are conducted with supplements.

Beta-carotene supplement bottle and two hands, one with yellowish discoloration.

Second problem: Balance

This is where Rainy's professional background was crucial:

"I had seen tanning supplements in my work for years. Beta-carotene supplements, mostly.

But they always turned people yellow. The companies were cutting costs which turned me off the whole category."

Rainy is completely right:

Large doses of single carotenoids in isolation create unnatural color.

Not dangerous, but unnatural.

This is why doctors actually advise against eating massive amounts of colorful vegetables like carrots, to avoid a harmless, but unnatural-looking medical condition called carotenemia.

Instead, for optimal skin tone, you need the right combination of carotenoids.

Because carotenoids are like vitamins: instead of being just one thing, they are a nutrient group with different functions.

Eating a massive dose of one carotenoid is not the answer.

Just like eating a massive dose of one vitamin is not the answer.

A large dose of Beta-carotene can turn you orange, but in smaller quantities, it's a great carotenoid for the "golden" base layer.

Astaxanthin is around 25 times more expensive than beta-carotene, but extremely useful for the deep undertone for balancing the warmth of beta-carotene.

Bright red Lycopene is around 7 times more expensive than beta-carotene, but great for the added, bright red vibrance.

So, knowing about the downsides of plain beta-carotene but desperate for solutions, Rainy started looking for a balanced supplement.

"I never trust easily. I've seen too many products fail. So when I found Zephyrian, I studied the research. I read every review. I went back and forth for weeks."

Here's how she explained her journey in an email:

"Your before and after photos are great, but what really got me is how open and honest you were with all the research behind your supplement.

That's what got me, because I'm very much a methodical person. I research things a lot. I have had to for my career."

Zephyrian was the only formula that was made without compromises, the only one that actually met Rainy's professional standards.

Astaxanthin, Lycopene, and Beta-carotene – formulated in a unique ratio that produces a warm, natural undertone.

This is the blend that transformed Rainy's skin after 25 years of self-tanner nightmare.

Same pigments she already ate every day in her foods, naturally sourced.

Now condensed into one easy to take capsule.

Two hands with different skin tones against a white background.

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Rainy's Realistic Timeline

Graph and images showing skin tone changes over six months.

Many companies promise "results in days"

Those skincare commercials you see with fictional timelines and baseless marketing, shown all over the packaging:

“Less wrinkles in 5 days”
“72-hour protection”
“Instant collagen synthesis”

...Skincare giants do that, because that's what people want to hear.

…even though the same customers often know the promises to be empty.

Peter and Larry, the founders of Zephyrian, refuse to lie about timelines.

So here it is: Rainy’s realistic timeline for carotenoid supplementation.

...So Rainy started, took it with fatty foods, for optimal absorption

After a couple of weeks, the first results were visible:

"So what happened was I started taking two straight away, and I was, within about two weeks, I was kind of going.

"My skin tone is getting more even."

Especially on my legs, you can see, my veins a lot 'cause my skin is see-through.”

A month in, the vibrance kept improving:

“Then, so it was about a month, and I was going, Oh, I'm definitely getting more tanned.

Oh, and it was. I'm gonna be honest. It was a process for me. It was a slower one, which I fully expected because I am very pale.”

After eight weeks, the results were undeniable:

“So that was fine, I have a thing where I say, "Trust the process," 'cause if I believe in something, I know things take time.

So at about eight weeks in total, I was going, "Okay, holy s***. These are doing something."

Then people started to notice, the compliments started:

“Are you doing something differently?”
“God, you look great. “
“You look really rested”

Then, my skin doctor started commenting. I told you about it yesterday. She stopped mid-sentence to talk about my color.

Rainy's timeline proves that carotenoids are not an overnight success.

Instead, they are a process.

Because carotenoids are not painted on the surface. They are building from within

Results or Money Back – The Bold Guarantee That Nobody Else Dares To Give

Black bottle labeled 'Zephyrian' with halved figs on light background.

Here's Zephyrian's unique offer:

If after 90 days you don't see the change, they’ll refund your entire order.

No returns required.

Because if they can't fix your problem, they don't want your money.

How can they be so confident to offer risk-free purchases?

Two Reasons:

1. The science behind carotenoids is bulletproof (all sources are linked below!)

...But the real confidence comes from the customer experiences, the second reason:

The results in Europe and the UK are crystal clear:

Thousands of happy customers.

3rd-party verified photo reviews.

Real transformation stories with before-and-after photos.

In a recent consumer study, they took 30 pale people.

...people who had already given up on their skin tone, people who thought that paleness was their destiny.

...85% of them saw a change in their skin tone in the first 90 days

How the Guarantee works?

1. Because carotenoid build-up can take up to 10 weeks, opt for a 3-pack or 5-pack order to be eligible for the Money Back Guarantee.

2. Take Before-Pictures and a progress photo set every two weeks! It's important to document your journey, small incremental changes can be difficult to notice!

(One of the most common customer messages Peter and Larry report:

"My partner noticed the change before I did")

3. Take Zephyrian with the fattiest meal of your day, carotenoids are fat-soluble, so absorption matters.

4. Stay consistent and be patient!

As Rainy said, this isn't an overnight fix or painting the surface. It's a gradual build through your body’s natural processes.

5. If after 90 days you don't see the change – they’ll refund your entire order.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE ON RESULTS – UP TO 40% OFF TODAY

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Your Skin Has Been Waiting Long Enough

Hand holding a black bottle labeled Zephyrian outdoors with blurred trees in background.

Science proved it. Thousands of customers confirmed it: carotenoids create a more attractive skin color than sun exposure – without the UV-Damage.

Your pale genetics aren't flawed.

But you have been fighting the wrong battle.

Rainy wore fake tan for 25 years.

She thought pale skin was her destiny.

She didn't believe anything would work.

Now her dermatologist stops mid-appointment to ask what she's doing.

90 days from now, you are either
feeling guilty about UV-Damage, wondering which self-tanner brand to try next.

Or you're the one getting unexpected compliments, finally feeling confident in your skin.

The choice is yours.

Zephyrian, the formula that was sold out 4 times last year in Europe.

Now finally Available in the U.S.