When Deborah Bastow, Founder of TANcouver, first moved from Ireland to Vancouver, B.C., she was shocked to see that it was nearly impossible to find sunless tan lotions in stores. Knowing that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, and also the most preventable, she decided to take matters into her own hands and opened her own spray tan salon.
As Deborah explains, “My mission is to promote the use of sunless products to combat skin cancer, prevent premature aging, and help people feel great about themselves. After only two years, Tancouver won the Consumer Choice Awards’ top spray tan salon in Vancouver and has gained over 500 five-star reviews. I’ve also created my own line of self tanner, became qualified in mole detection, and now educate other estheticians on how to become spray tan artists and voice the dangers of UV tanning.”
Deborah’s unwavering drive to increase the availability of sunless tanning options comes from a place of great loss. She says, “I lost my family but I found myself. My brother and father passed away from cancer, and my sister has had breast cancer twice. Due to this, many years ago we had to get genetic testing to see why all of my family were becoming ill. It turns out we have a rare gene that is affected through UV. All of this has shaped my passion in becoming THE CHANGE in a city where really no one was a spray tan artist, or ever knew quite how natural spray tans (done right) can be. There is nothing more harmful or dangerous to our skin than UV. Every person who comes to me and tells me because of me they are now using SPF, are more mindful of their sun exposure, and are embracing sunless tanning makes me feel like this is truly what I was supposed to do in my life.”
To build upon her success, Deborah has enrolled in The Forum E-Series Presented by RBC, and aims to activate and access wisdom, community, and financial capital to achieve continued growth and success.