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DHA is an approved colour additive for external application to the human body only.

FDA states explicitly that DHA is not approved for application to the area of the eye, the lips, or mucous membranes, and that its safety has not been established for exposure of those areas or for inhalation.

The agency's consumer guidance on spray tanning follows directly from that: when using a booth or a spray, ask whether the eyes, lips and mucous membranes will be protected, and if they will not, consider whether the exposure is worthwhile. Reputable operators supply and require:

• Protective eyewear
• Nose plugs or a breath-hold instruction
• Lip balm as a barrier
• Ventilation and extraction

That is not fussiness; it is the regulator's own advice, and the reason for it is that a spray booth is the one delivery method that puts DHA where the approval does not reach.

• Even coverage. An experienced technician with an airbrush produces a result that is difficult to match at home, particularly across the back, the backs of the legs and the contours.
• Depth and undertone are matched to the person — DHA percentage from around 8% to 16%, and violet- or green-based tints to counteract orange.
• Contouring. Deeper solution shaded along muscle lines, used routinely in fitness and competition work.
• Speed. Ten minutes, developing over four to eight hours.

Before: exfoliate 24 hours ahead with an oil-free scrub; shave or wax 24 hours ahead, not after; no moisturiser, deodorant, makeup or perfume on the day; loose dark clothing and open shoes.

After: do not shower for the stated development time — usually four to eight hours, sometimes overnight for a "rapid" solution left on longer for a deeper result. Then rinse in water only, no soap, no scrubbing. Pat dry. Avoid swimming, saunas, long hot baths and exfoliation. Moisturise daily, because the tan lasts exactly as long as the surface skin layer does — five to seven days.

It is not sun protection. A DHA tan has an SPF of roughly 3 at most, and someone who has just paid for a bronzed appearance is more likely to spend time in the sun, not less.

Cosmetic in the US — FDA primary category (15) suntan preparations — with DHA regulated as a colour additive, approved for external application only and expressly not for the eye area, lips or mucous membranes.

There is no federal regulation of spray tan booths as such. Salon practice is regulated at state level by cosmetology boards, and standards for eye and airway protection vary considerably. That gap is the practical reason FDA's advice is addressed to the consumer rather than to the operator.

A product with no sunscreen carries the 21 CFR 740.19 warning that it does not protect against sunburn.

In the EU, DHA is permitted in cosmetics, and the SCCS has assessed it specifically for spray application, with conditions.

Six to twelve months, refrigerated where the manufacturer says so. Professional solution is concentrated DHA in water, and DHA degrades faster at high concentration, in heat and at the wrong pH — a degraded solution sprays a weak, orange, uneven tan, which is a visible failure in a paid service.

Salons date their bottles for this reason. A solution that has darkened noticeably or developed a strong caramel-like smell should not be used.

• Sun and Tanning — the shelf this sits on, and the rest of it.
• Cosmetics — what the label is legally allowed to say, and the full catalogue.
• The rest of Sunless — Self-Tanner · Self-Tanning Mousse · Self-Tanning Drops · Gradual Tanning Lotion · Tanning Water · Tan Remover.
• Indoor Tanning Lotion — what tanning salons increasingly sell this instead of.
• Regulatory statements here follow the FDA and EU sources listed on Cosmetics, read 16 August 2026.