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July in Boston means lots of time outside, whether that’s beach days, afternoons along the Charles, or long weekends on the Cape. It also means more hours in direct sun, at a time when awareness around skin cancer has reached a boiling point.

That tension—between what we know is healthiest for our skin and what we still want aesthetically—has fueled a booming spray-tan industry. But for years, the results felt like a compromise: streaky finishes, Oompa-Loompa-orange tones, and sticky formulas with hours upon hours of downtime.

That’s where a proprietary new formula from Boston-based Pure Glow comes in. Called Signature Rapid, it’s being positioned as part of the next wave of sunless tanning, one that works with the skin rather than simply coating it. Traditional spray tans rely on dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a sugar-based ingredient that darkens the outermost layer of skin to mimic a tan without actually promoting melanin production.While popular, the result can sometimes look flat or fade unevenly.

Signature Rapid aims to go a step further, incorporating a proprietary “melanin activating” complex designed to develop more like a natural tan, but without ultraviolet (UV) exposure. According to Pure Glow founder Lauren Rampello Becotte, the goal was to close a long-standing gap in the market by offering “more believable results” that feel individualized, rather than one-shade-fits-all. “By gradually producing your own melanin, your resulting tan is reflective of how your skin naturally reacts to the sun,” she says. The brand tailors each application using the Fitzpatrick scale—a numerical classification system based on how different skin types respond to ultraviolet light—allowing for a customized tan.

I’ve now tried Signature Rapid a few times, and what struck me first wasn’t even the color; it was the timing. You can rinse off in one to three hours—compared to the standard eight hours or more with traditional formulas—which makes the service significantly easier to fit into a normal day (no more sleeping in a spray tan or planning your schedule around it). But the bigger difference shows up over time. The tan develops in a way that feels more like your own skin tone, just enhanced. And unlike many spray tans I’ve had, it fades evenly and lasts a couple of days longer.

In a season where the glow is still the goal but the risks are clearer than ever, this kind of innovation feels less like a trend and more like the bright, sunny future.

First published in the print edition of the July 2026 issue, with the headline,“Faking It.”