A Tan For All Seasons
Get a healthy glow with the best self-tanners under the sun.
Photography by nick horne
Fake it, don't bake it. That's our summertime tan mantra. Thankfully, the latest generation of sunless tanners makes it easy to get a healthy glow any time of year without the premature aging and skin cancer associated with the real thing. The active ingredient in effective self-tanners is dihydroxyacetone. Sound like weird science?It's actually derived from a natural vegetable source such as sugar cane or sugar beets. "DHA reacts with the amino acids in your skin to turn it brown, but does not seep under the stratum corneum, the uppermost layer of skin," says Elizabeth Goldberg, M.D., clinical instructor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. The color fades as skin cells naturally shed.
The latest products provide natural moisturizing agents such as aloe and vitamins A and E to help keep skin smooth and hydrated--which goes a long way toward making application nearly foolproof. "Self-tanners have improved their formulas by enhancing the tanning effect without negative consequences like getting a streaky, orangey look," says Lynn Mazzella, vice president of Origins Global Product Development.
One thing to remember: Self-tanners generally don't protect your melanocyte (color-producing) cells, so unless the label specifies an SPF level of 15 or above, you'll still need to apply sunscreen.
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