What is Dihydroxyacetone? (DHA)

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA)  is a simple carbohydrate that is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar cane. During the 1920's it was first discovered to dye skin by a German scientist after it was spilled on skin.


In 1950, Eva Wittgenstein at the University of Cincinnati did further research with DHA, painting liquid solutions of it onto her own skin. She was able to consistently reproduce the effect, and noted that DHA did not penetrate beyond the dead skin surface layer. Research then continued on DHA's skin coloring effect in relation to treatment for patients suffering from vitiligo.

The skin browning is non-toxic. DHA reacts chemically with the amino acids in the skin, which are part of the protein containing keratin layer on the skin surface.

Coppertone introduced the first consumer sunless tanning lotion into the marketplace in the 1960s. . This sunless tanner was called "Quick tan" aka "QT". It was sold as an overnight tanning agent, and other companies followed with similar products. Consumers soon tired of this product due to unattractive results such as orange palms, streaking and poor coloration. Because of the QT experience, many people today still associate sunless tanning with fake-looking orange tans.

In the 1970s the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added DHA permanently to their list of approved cosmetic ingredients. DHA does not damage the skin, and is considered a safe skin coloring agent and nutritional supplement.

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