Carroten

Carroten is a Greek sun care and tanning brand owned by the Sarantis Group, a personal-care company that markets it as a leading name in its portfolio [5]. Built around carrot extract and its beta-carotene content, the line is best known for tan-accelerating gels and oils sold alongside conventional sun protection. According to the Sarantis Group, Carroten was the first mass-market sun care line with a carrot-based composition [7].

The brand traces its origins to Greece in the early 1980s, where, as the parent company tells it, the carrot — valued for its antioxidant properties and its ability to amplify tanning — served as the founding inspiration [7]. The exact founding year is not published, and the figures different sources give for its time on the market vary: Carroten's own site speaks of "over 30 years" as Greece's suncare companion [1], the Sarantis Group cites a "35-year presence" in the category [7], and some aggregator listings describe it as a Greek summer brand of "over 40 years." All are consistent with an early-1980s start.

Carroten was created in Greece, a market the company frames through climate: a country where, by its own description, the sun shines for more than 250 days a year. The brand's identity is tied to the carrot, chosen for the beta-carotene in its extract, which the company presents as an antioxidant that supports a deeper, sun-kissed tan. The names of the original founders and the company's headquarters city are not stated in available sources.

Carroten operates under the Sarantis Group, a personal-care group that owns and distributes the brand across multiple countries [7]. Within the group it sits alongside other personal-care names including Astrid, B.U., STR8 and Algologie. The Sarantis Group has also coordinated initiatives across its suncare labels: it launched an eco sunscreen line supported by Carroten together with sister brands Astrid, Kolastyna and Elmiplant [8].

Carroten positions itself around the idea that pursuing a tan should not come at the expense of skin health. "Your journey to gorgeous, sun-kissed skin shouldn't compromise your skin's health," the brand states, describing an approach that pairs what it calls advanced tanning technology with botanical ingredients [1]. The editorial aggregator Cosmetify summarises its ethos as achieving golden results "without neglecting skin health," rooted in Greek suncare know-how. The company's marketing tagline is "The Gold Standard of Glow," and it frames its products as designed to work alongside, rather than replace, a regular sunscreen routine.

The range centres on tanning accelerators — gels, oils, sprays and intensifiers — built on the brand's signature carrot extract and supporting ingredients such as coconut, calendula and vitamin E. The Sarantis Group also attributes to the brand a proprietary system it calls SUPREME LIGHT TECHNOLOGY, described as offering protection across UVB, UVA, visible light and infrared radiation [7]. Among its named products are the Intensive Tanning Gel and the Gold Shimmer Intensive Tanning Gel, both formulated with sesame oil and calendula extract [5].

In 2019, Carroten was named Gold "Top Branded Export Product" at the Greek Exports Awards [9]. The Sarantis Group describes it, citing Nielsen data, as the leading protection and tanning brand in the Greek wide-distribution market, with leading shares across the Balkan countries where it operates and in Cyprus [7]. In 2023, regional press in Georgia reported the brand as a local favourite for sunscreen and tanning, recognised at a "Golden Brand" award ceremony [10].

Carroten is active. Long established in Greece, the Balkans and Cyprus, it has more recently expanded internationally, with the parent company citing presence in Europe, the Middle East and Australia [5]. In February 2025 the brand made its United States brick-and-mortar debut, launching the Intensive Tanning Gel and Gold Shimmer Intensive Tanning Gel at Target stores nationwide, with logistics and marketing handled by the Miami-based distributor SAYN [5]. It also operates a direct-to-consumer storefront for the US market.