Tancream Stars in BBC TV Show Dragons’ Den

The founders of a groundbreaking tanning lotion – which is available at Illuminate – received three outstanding “offers” during an appearance on the hit BBC TV show Dragons’ Den.

Gillian Robson and her business partner Katy Foxcroft launched Tancream in 2017, following Mrs Robson’s own battle with skin cancer.

The product offers a unique combination of SPF50 protection and self-tanning and was lapped up by three of the five-strong panel on the popular programme for entrepreneurs.

So successful were the dermatological duo that they even turned down a partnership with British business legend Peter Jones who offered them all of the £75,000 they sought for 25 per cent of ownership of the brand.

Instead they chose to team up with a duo of ‘Dragons’ in luxury brand giant Touker Suleyman and new panelist Sara Davies who both took 12.5 per cent each of the Tancream business.

The move was Mrs Davies’ first ever deal on the show, which is now in its seventeenth series.

Aside from the excitement of discovering a lotion which offers sun protection and self tanning within the same bottle, the Dragons were also impressed by demonstration of the results using live models and an ultra violet camera.

During her pitch on the programme – which premiered on August 11 and is now available on iPlayer – Gillian Robson said: “Following my own diagnosis and treatment six years ago it led me to have a light bulb moment.

“I needed to wear sun protection everyday but I also like to have some colour, so I saw a niche for an all in one product that would give me some protection but a nice healthy glow”.

Craft industry giant Sara Davies replied with “What you need is you need to be on TV, this (Tancream) has got TV shopping written all over it because as soon as you stood in front of that camera there you had me.”

“I’d like to make you an offer,” she added.

This was followed by negotiations with other Dragons which ended in the partnership with Touker Suleyman.

Fighting back tears Gillian said: “Touker knows the luxury market and Sara was so enthusiastic and really believed in the product”.

Illuminate is one of just two outlets in Kent currently offering Tancream.