#dihydroxyacetone

The self tan shake up

New EU self tan regulations reduce the maximum level of DHA usage to 10% If you sell a self tanning product you will likely be aware of a looming change to the limit of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in self tanning products to a maximum of 10% which is going to affect a large number of products on the market. The new regulation also sets a new DHA limit for non-oxidative hair-dye products to 6.5%,…

Dihydroxyacetone or for short DHA, is the primary ingredient in most sunless tanning products.  It is often derived from a plants source such as sugar beets.  DHA simply reacts with the amino acids in your skin.  DHA does not penetrate your skin and studies show that it does not penetrate deeper than your dead skin surface layer.   In simple terms, DHA reacts with the amino acids in your skin to create a brown or bronze color.  Not all DHA ingredients in spray tan solutions are the same which is why you will see different colors when using different spray tan solutions.  The higher the quality of ingredients in your spray tan solution the better and longer lasting the results.   Sunless tanning solutions can range from 1% DHA to 15% DHA, one percent being the lowest concentration and 15% is the highest.  This means that the lower percentage of DHA will be a very light glow  and the 15% will be a very dark, rich brown tan.   Our spray tan technicians will use sunless tanning solutions that range from 6% to 12%.  Most clients can achieve the desired results from within this range.  The sunless tanning products we stock have DHA in them as well but a much smaller dosage.   The main health hazard in spray tan solutions and cosmetics are parabens.  Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in personal care products.  There are many concerns about the safety of parabens which is why we use sunless spray tan solutions that are organic and paraben free.   Take a look below to read about the ingredients in our sunless tanning solutions: Our sunless tanning solution includes the following ingredients:

100% Pure Organic ECO certified DHA (Dihydroxyacetone), Paraben Free: The active ingredient that reacts with the skin to create the tan.  DHA is a colorless, organic, sugar compound that interacts with dead skin cells to produce that coveted bronzed glow.

100% vegan (approved by PETA)

Erythrulose: A natural sugar that helps to prolong and produce a beautiful natural tan when the optimum ratio is mixed with the DHA

Matrixyl 3000 (Peptides): Known as a anti-aging ingredient.

Collagen: Is a type of protein found in the skin. Collagen works in tandem to keep the skin tight and elastic. Used as a anti-aging ingredient.

Aloe Vera: Known for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties, and also aids in skin moisturization

Hyaluronic Acid: Known for its level of moisturizing the skin

Green Tea: Contains a high level antioxidant polyphenols, (a very potent antioxidant)

CoQ10: Is a vitamin like substance in all human cells and responsible for cell production of the body’s energy.

Ginkgo Bilobal: A potent antioxidant that helps promote blood flow.

By Deann Casias Howard