Product Paramete

Application

Where tanned skin is considered to be attractive, people are becoming increasing aware of the harmful effects of sunlight as well as the risk of skin cancer. The desire to acquire a natural looking tan without sunbathing is growing. Dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, has been used successfully as a self –tanning agent for more than half a century. It is the main active ingredient in all sunless tanning skincare preparations, and is considered the most effective sun-free tanning additive.

Natural Source

DHA is a 3-carbon sugar involved in carbohydrate metabolism in higher plants and animals through process such as glycolysis and photosynthesis. It is a physiologic product of the body and is presumed to be nontoxic.

Molecular Structure

DHA occurs as a mixture of a monomer and 4 dimers. The monomer is formed by heating or melting dimeric DHA or by dissolving it in water. The monomeric crystals revert to dimeric forms within about 30 days of storage at room temperate. Therefore, solid DHA mainly presents in the dimeric form.

The Browning Mechanism

Dihydroxyacetone tans the skin by binding to amines, peptides and free amino acids of the outer layers of the stratum conrneum to generate a Maillard reaction. A brown “tan” forms within two or three hours after skin contacts DHA, and continues to darken for approximately six hours. The result is a substantive tan and diminishes only as the dead cells of the horney layer flake off.

The tan’s intensity depends on the type and thickness of the horny layer. Where the stratum corneum is very thick (at the elbows, for example), the tan is intense. Where the horney layer is thin ( such as on the face) the tan is less intense.