How do sunless tanning products and spray tan work?

If you have ever wondered how fake tan works, the tanning experts at Sienna X are here with the answers.

Don’t fall for the fake tanning myths – find out how the ingredients in sunless tanning products create a natural glow without sun damage.

It’s a common misconception that fake tan products work by dyeing the skin a darker shade – what actually occurs is a natural chemical reaction.

The active ingredient in spray tanning formulas and the self-tanning products you use at home is called DHA or dihydroxyacetone. Far from being anything scary or toxic, DHA is in fact a colourless sugar and it reacts with amino acids naturally present in the topmost layers of skin to turn it a beautiful shade of brown.

DHA has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration since the 1970s as a product safe for cosmetic use. There is no damage caused to the skin, it doesn’t interact with natural pigmentation and the reaction is very similar to what happens when an apple turns brown when exposed to air.

In the Sienna X tanning product range, we have various formulas which have different levels of active DHA to give a range of colour depths. Our eXtremely natural self tan and eXpress yourself tanning mist both contain 8 per cent DHA to give light to medium skin a natural-looking glow. To top up your tan between treatments, our eXtend and perfect gradual tan contains a much lighter 4 per cent DHA formula to ensure you build up a gentle colour.

So for a safe and golden glow that pampers your skin with ingredients that are full of natural goodness, you simply can’t beat sunless tanning.