Uploaded July 2012 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
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 Maillard reaction. Well known to food scientists, this reaction occurs when amino acids interact with sugars to create brown or golden brown compounds, like when you bake bread or cook a steak on the grill. In our latest video, we unravel the chemistry and history behind this popular product and shed light... or maybe the lack of light, on the deep tan that it produces in your skin.
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 Maillard reaction. Well known to food scientists, this reaction occurs when amino acids interact with sugars to create brown or golden brown compounds, like when you bake bread or cook a steak on the grill. In our latest video, we unravel the chemistry and history behind this popular product and shed light... or maybe the lack of light, on the deep tan that it produces in your skin.
