How Sunless Tanner Works: Tan-In-A-Can Chemistry - Bytesize Science

In our last episode, we learned that tanning can potentially lead to skin cancer or premature aging, so maybe you’re weighing your other options. How about some of that tan-in-a-can that gives you all the bronzed results without the UV exposure? The secret of sunless tanner can be found in the active ingredient, a natural three-carbon sugar called dihydroxyacetone, or DHA. DHA’s pigment altering effects were discovered in the mid 1950’s by researcher Eva Wittgenstein. The browning is caused by the so-called