A woman applies a lotion with a dye to get the color of a summer tan, without the danger from the sun's rays. Rub it all over. You can now get that bronze glow of summer from a cream, lotion or spray without baking under the sun's dangerous rays. As the public has become more savvy about the sun's cancer-causing ultraviolet rays, spas and cosmetic companies are now offering products that give the illusion of a tan without the burn. Ill. Gone is the unnatural orange of yesterday's sunless tanners.
Cosmetic companies have fine-tuned their formulas to produce better results.
Sunless tanners work like hair dyes, explains says Dr. Bruce Robinson, a New York City dermatologist. The key ingredient in the majority of products is a chemical called dihydroxyacetone. Dihydroxyacetone reacts with skin proteins to produce a brown coloring that looks like a tan. It colors the top layers of your skin. The dye does not wash off.