Dihydroxyacetone

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a simple carbohydrate that is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products.

Contents

• Uses
• Benefits
• Cautions
• Interactions
• Other names
• References

Uses

• DHA is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products.

Benefits

• It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, by the fermentation of glycerin. DHA is the only FDA approved sunless tanning ingredient and can be found in all sunless tanners. Products contain DHA in concentrations ranging from 1% to 15%, according to The New Zealand Dermatological Society. The artificial tan takes 2 to 4 hours to begin appearing on the skin surface, and will continue to darken for 24 to 72 hours, depending on formulation type.

Cautions

• According to a study at the Gematria Test Lab in Berlin, 24 hours after self-tanner is applied, the skin is especially susceptible to free-radical damage from sunlight. Forty minutes after the researchers treated skin samples with DHA they found that more than 180 percent additional free radicals formed during sun exposure compared with untreated skin. For a day after self-tanner application, excessive sun exposure should be avoided and sunscreen should be worn outdoors; an antioxidant cream could also minimize free radical production.

Interactions

n/a

Other names

DHA

References

Source: TruthinAging, https://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/dihydroxyacetone

Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydroxyacetone