To determine its physiological functions, LmAQP1 was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, rendering them permeable to water, glycerol, methylglyoxal,
dihydroxyacetone, and sugar alcohols (Figarella et al., 2007).
Pierard-Franchimont, "
Dihydroxyacetone test as a substitute for the dansyl chloride test," Dermatology, vol.
An amide moiety could be superimposed on a model of
dihydroxyacetone phosphate.
"The active ingredients that cause tanning to occur,
dihydroxyacetone and erythrulose, are chemicals with very unpleasant odors," warns Brattin.
Most tans contain
dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which reacts with the amino acids present on the skin's surface to turn it brown.
Essentially, all fake tanning products contain the same chemical - DHA (
dihydroxyacetone) - which is derived from the sugary substance glycerin.
A lesser known fact is that some self tanning agents contain compounds DHA (
dihydroxyacetone) and riboflavin that protect the skin from visible light damage.
According to a panel of medical experts, the active chemical used in spray-on tans --
dihydroxyacetone (DHA) -- can potentially damage one's DNA and cause genetic alterations.
The substance in a spray tan that makes the skin brown is DHA (
dihydroxyacetone).
Dihydroxyacetone, a chemical which is used as a tanning agent, can be obtained both biochemically using bacteria and by oxidation over Pd, Pt, Au catalysts (Demirel, et al., 2007).
However, traditional products do not provide real skin pigmentation, but instead include chemicals like
dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which react with proteins in the upper skin layer and produce colored degeneration products.
"Don't use a moisturiser all over your body before tanning as it works as a barrier against the
dihydroxyacetone or DHA, the tanning agent that reacts with the proteins on our skin," he says.
