This Celebrity-Loved Tanning Brand Has Landed at Violet Grey

Just seven weeks after launching, MSK Labs has made its first retail move, and it’s a big one. The tanning brand can now be found in all Violet Grey locations across the US, as well as on violetgrey.com.

MSK Labs was founded by celebrity spray tan artist Mishel Chernyavskiy, whose client list includes Emily Ratajkowski, Sabrina Carpenter, Amelia Gray, and Shay Mitchell. That list also includes Cassandra Grey — founder of Violet Grey — making the retailer’s decision to stock the brand feel particularly fitting.

Grey, after all, created Violet Code, the retailer’s rigorous product-vetting process, which sees a panel of dermatologists, makeup artists, and plastic surgeons test every formula under professional conditions. Only products approved by more than 70% of the panel make the cut.

“MSK Labs was one of the first brands that made us reconsider self-tanners,” explains Rachel Richman, Director of Merchandising at Violet Grey. “We were initially introduced to the line through our founder, Cassandra Grey, who has long trusted MSK Labs’ founder Mishel Chernyavskiy as her spray tan artist. Any product pre-vetted through Cassandra is always on our radar, but what ultimately resonated was the product itself and the clear opportunity for innovative, high-performance self-tanning within our assortment.”

Sunless tanning has long been seen as a category that requires compromise, with formulas often associated with dry, patchy results. MSK Labs aims to change that by treating the skin while delivering that all-important bronzed glow. The line features dermatologist-tested, vegan, and non-comedogenic formulations free of parabens, sulphates, phthalates, formaldehydes, and mineral oils.

Instead, the brand combines vegetable-derived DHA with high-performance skincare actives. By incorporating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, squalane, and niacinamide, the formulations work to boost hydration and visibly refine texture — effectively repositioning self-tan as a legitimate extension of a sophisticated skincare routine.

Sadly, Brits will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the brand, as it has yet to launch in the UK.