Skintime with Jenna

Dihydroxyacetone (or DHA for short) is the tanning ingredient in all self-tanning formulas. DHA creates a tanned appearance by developing a brown color on the surface of the skin thus creating a tanned appearance. DHA is a colorless 3-carbon sugar that when applied to the skin causes a chemical reaction with amino acids in the surface cells of the skin producing a darkening effect. DHA does not damage skin as it only affects the outermost cells of the epidermis, the outer layer of skin. The development of color takes anywhere from 6 to 8 hours and the intensity of color is dependent upon the DHA concentration in the product as well as each person's skin type. The tan typically lasts 5 to 7 days and begins to fade as the top layer of skin cells naturally sheds.

The tan typically lasts 9 to 12 days with proper after care. The faster your skin cells turn over and shed from your body, the faster the sunless tan fades. The tan created by the DHA affects only the top layer of the skin and will begin to fade after 4 to 5 days as the skin naturally begins to shed. To get the longest life from a spray tan, it is crucial to exfoliate prior to the spray tan application and to moisturize daily after the application.

No. Our cosmetic bronzer is perfectly blended to give your clients that “just off the beach” look and our spray tan solution features a “what you see if what you get” effect meaning that the bronzer color they see initially exactly matches your resulting DHA spray tan. Do you still need to wear sunscreen when going out in the sun? Absolutely! A spray tan does not protect the skin from UV rays from the sun.

The sunless tanner dihydroxyacetone is currently the most popular way of gaining a tan-like appearance without sun exposure as it carries less health risks than any of the other available methods. To date, it is the only active ingredient approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for sunless tanning. The FDA has tested and approved DHA for use on the skin.

Dermatologists universally agree that the fewer the number of ingredients, the less likely the chance of an allergic reaction. Particularly in a spray on product, where inevitably the client will breathe some in, this is critical. Most solutions contain 25-32 ingredients, but we have counted some as high as 40 ingredients. My formula contains just 13 ingredients.

You may shower after 30 minutes for a light tan, 60 minutes for a medium tan or 90 minutes for a dark tan. Because a DHA tan takes 8 hours to completely develop, no matter how quickly they shower, you should expect to see your full tan after 8 hours.

It is important to keep skin moisturized after sunless tanning as dry, flaky skin will shed faster and the tan will fade sooner. To slow down the body's natural exfoliation process, it is essential to moisturize daily.

We recommend that you wear loose-fitting, darker clothes after your spray session to minimize the chance of the bronzer transferring to clothing. When using a spray solution with bronzer, some of the bronze color may rub off on clothing or bed sheets.

No, as Aviva Labs sunless solution (unlike most competitors' solutions) is fragrance-free.

No. Most people will not see any effect on the color of their hair. Clients with light blonde or gray hair may see some initial discoloration from the bronzer but this color will wash out after their first shower.

The Aviva Labs solution dries the fastest in the industry because it is oil-free. Our spray tan dries in seconds.