Tanning in a swimsuit without any trace of tan, Bikunu’s successful bet

Who has never regretted basking in the sun with a swimsuit that was a little too… asymmetrical? It’s one of the scourges of summer: the impossible (or almost…) challenge of having an even tan from head to toe. Faced with this observation, Luc and Alexandra Dessauvages, a couple from Cannes, decided to invent their own brand of so-called “through-tanning” swimsuits: Bikunu.

In the columns of actu.fr, these amateurs of canoe trips tell how the idea came to them. “I was white in my swimming shorts, and my wife in her bikini. So I started calling him my little deer, in reference to the white triangle that these animals have at the level of the buttocks”, explains Luke.

After this first observation in 2015, the two lovers created the Bikunu project in September 2021, while the first collections have been available since May 2022. On the site, you can find four collections and six different products, namely bikinis , headbands, swim shorts, shorts, dresses and sarongs. How does it work, exactly? It is very simple ! The fabric of the swimsuit selects the UV rays authorized to pass: UV A rays and UV B rays, which are the least dangerous for the skin.

“With these two rays, the mechanism of melanogenesis is triggered, and therefore, you can tan while being protected from the sun”, explains actu.fr, adding that the jersey corresponds to UV protection index 30. Which is not, on the other hand, not an excuse to forget your sunscreen!