The continued desire for a tanned appearance despite the known hazards of UV light exposure has generated interest in agents to facilitate tanning. A variety of products have been marketed to meet this perceived need. Sunless or self-tanning preparations have become steadily more popular as a safer means of obtaining a tanned appearance and are the focus of this article. Better formulations of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) containing sunless or self-tanners with improved esthetic properties have become more widely available in the last decade. As consumer experience with the newer products has grown, this category represents an increasing proportion of overall sun care sales.