1,3-Dihydroxyacetone (also known as DHA) is a simple carbohydrate that is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, by the fermentation of glycerin.
1,3-Dihydroxyacetone is a triose carbohydrate chemical formula C3H6O3. It is a hygroscopic white crystalline powder. It has a sweet cooling taste and a characteristic odor. It is the simplest of all ketoses and, having no chiral center, is the only one that has no optical activity. The normal form is a dimer which is slowly soluble in one part water and 15 parts ethanol.When freshly prepared, it reverts rapidly to the monomer in solution. The monomer is very soluble in water, ethanol, diethyl ether and acetone.
1,3-Dihydroxyacetone may be prepared, along with glyceraldehyde, by the mild oxidation of glycerol, for example with \ a ferrous salt as catalyst.
1,3-Dihydroxyacetone was first recognized as a skin coloring agent in the 1920s, by German scientists.
Additional research studied DHA's skin coloring effect in relation to treatment for patients suffering from vitiligo.This skin browning effect is non-toxic, and similar to the Maillard reaction.