Skin care
Spray Tanning News: Is it Really Dangerous?
Not convinced that spray tanning really causes cancer? Here's the info you need before you decide to get a faux glow this summer
The real deal with DHA
Many spray tanning salons reassure customers by telling them that DHA is a food grade ingredient and safe to eat. And that's technically true -- but not when it comes to the DHA in spray tans.There are actually two chemicals that are abbreviated DHA: One is Docosahexaenoic acid, an essential fatty acid that's often added to infant formula, but never to self-tanner. The other is Dihydroxyacetone, the active ingredient in spray tans, which is a colorless sugar that literally stains your dead skin cells brown, giving you your tan. "These two DHAs are not the same thing," says Rigel. "When someone says you can eat the DHA solution, they're talking about the food-grade DHA."
When ABC news did their initial report, they found Norvell Skin Solutions, one of the largest manufacturers of spray tan products, was telling its customers that they used food-grade DHA in their products. Norvell has since promised to correct its product descriptions.
SEE NEXT PAGE: Are lotions safer than sprays?
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