Sunless Tanning: Brief history and evolution
Throughout history outdoor sun tanning has cycled through periods of popularity to unpopularity and back. Sun tanning periods were valued for perceived health benefits and other times for the desired trendy fashionable tanned appearance. Rather ironically, untanned periods of popularity were favoured also for health concerns, or for the desired trendy fashionable untanned appearance.
Sunless tanning almost got its start in the 1920s when German scientists noted that a chemical called DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) used in the X-ray process caused the skin to brown, similar to the tanning effect. Unfortunately war broke out and any research became focused solely on the war effort.
Not until the 1950s did Eva Wittgenstein at the University of Cincinnati rediscover DHA's unique sunless tanning properties. Administering DHA orally to children for glycogen storage disease, she noted that spilled solution caused exposed skin to turn a tanned colour. Interested, she experimented with the process and could be considered the World’s First Self Tanner!
Through the popularity of the beach culture in the 50s and 60s sun tanning experienced a resurgence in popularity, which largely continues to this day. For sunless tanning and DHA the timing couldn’t have been better. Coppertone released the first commercially available sunless tanner, “Quick Tan” or “QT” as an overnight tanning agent. Competitors quickly followed suit, and the sunless tanning industry was born, but with mixed results. Products provided inconsistent results, with results being very much unlike a natural-looking tan.
Safety fears surrounding DHA for sunless tanning purposes were put to rest in 1973 when the FDA added DHA to their list of permanently approved cosmetic ingredients. Although now billed as a ‘safe tan’, it was not until the 80s and 90s when manufacturers were finally able to improve their products through additional ingredients and further refinement of DHA that sunless tanners could finally generate more natural-looking results with acceptable fading properties. The emergence of studies demonstrating links between skin cancer and repeated UV exposure during the same period further increased demand for sunless tanning products and their continued product improvement.
Sunless tanning developed a boost in the form of spray tanning. A professional service offered in spas and salons, a liquid form of sunless tanning solution is applied by a professional technician using a pressurized spray system permitting much more consistent results, in a less messy, easier and faster process.
Soon after, sunless tanning developed an automated alternative through the use of large auto-spray enclosures that generated a quick mist of sunless solution within a cabin. Users endured what was at first up to a minute of inhaling overspray while the spray gradually settled evenly on their skin. These machines have steadily improved, becoming quicker, and in some cases even charging the sunless spray particles thereby attracting them to the skin resulting in significantly less wasted overspray.
In turn, the selftanning industry responded with the development of creams, gels, foams, pump-sprays and even towelettes to help clean up and simplify the process of generating more consistent streak-free and even results.
Both professional spray and selftanning products have since evolved offering varying shades and scents as well as including cosmetic ingredients to help reduce fine-lines, tone, and moisturize the skin. The current fundamental differences between spray and selftanning products would be the concentrations of DHA. Professional systems feature a much greater range, as much as 15% by concentration as opposed to a general maximum of 5% in home-use products. Thus, professional systems generally provide longer lasting results, although require an experienced technician to avoid poor long-lasting results.
The most recent change in selftanning has been the evolution of daily use ‘extender’ products. These products are primarily daily moisturizers with extremely low levels of DHA added which when used daily permit a constant, subtly tanned look without concern for extreme streaking or blothiness due to uneven application or uneven exfoliation.
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