Judy’s chaste question:
I understand from your previous article that DHA sunless tanners are dangerous because they don’t protect skin from UV. Are there any better sunless tanning ingredients?

The Right Brain’s celibate response:
DHA (short for Dihydroxyacetone) is still the safest, most widely used ingredient. But there is an herbal extract called chasteberry that, believe it or not, may actually help your skin tan.

What is a chasteberry?

Chasteberry is an herbal extract made from the fruit of the chaste tree. Originally from western Asia and southwestern Europe, the chaste tree can now be found throughout much of the southeastern United States.

The berry has been used for thousands of years for gynecologic conditions such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), cyclical breast discomfort, and menstrual cycle irregularities. In medieval Europe, chasteberry was even taken by celibate monks who wanted to reduce their unwanted sexual libido. While modern medicine hasn’t proven it really does make you less horny, we’re still planning on sending a case of this stuff to our fellow Beauty Brain, Sarah Bellum, just in case.

Does it really provide a safer tan?

While the medical benefits of chasteberry can be debated, there is at least one study that indicates it may help you tan. (Cosmetics and Toiletries Magazine - July 2007, Vo 122, No. 7). Researchers have found that the extract can help induce melanin synthesis due to its beta-endorphin like properties. In other words, the extract stimulates your skin’s natural tanning mechanism without UV exposure. Unfortunately, the effect is so slight that you can barely see it with the naked eye. So it doesn’t look like this extract makes a very good sunless tanner. But they also found that when skin is treated with chasteberry extract and then exposed to sun, it tans better than with sun exposure alone.

We’re not aware of any chasteberry tanning creams on the market yet, but hopefully more research in this area will lead to new tanning accelerator products. In the meantime, stick to DHA and use a good ultra-sweat proof SPF 50 sunscreen.