What DHA does
DHA — dihydroxyacetone — is the active ingredient behind the tan. It reacts with amino acids in the dead cells of the skin's surface layer, the stratum corneum, forming brown pigments called melanoidins. That is the Maillard reaction, the same browning chemistry as food, and it is why a spray tan develops color without sun.
Color keeps developing for hours after application. That is standard DHA behavior, not a product promise. The percentage on the bottle is the concentration of DHA in the solution — one variable among several, and the rest of this guide is about the others.
The confirmed ladder
This is the whole confirmed range. If a strength is not in this table, it is not published for SASS-EE — no matter what a reseller or a roundup claims.
| Strength | Confirmed products | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| 8% DHA | Retail spray tan, sunless gel, face crème | 1–8 oz |
| 8.5% DHA | Sass-ee Spray Tan | 4 oz |
| 10% DHA | Show-Off Competition Tan; Show-Off retail, Monoi Sunless Crème, Seriously Addictive | Gallon, quart, 8 oz; retail 1–8 oz |
| No-DHA | Show-Off Competition Tan, no-DHA version | Gallon, quart, 8 oz |
The base Sass-ee Tan solution lists no DHA percentage in its catalog entry, so this guide does not assign it one. The no-DHA Show-Off is the mirror case: a tan with no DHA means no DHA reaction to develop color, and what produces the color instead is not published — ask the lab before you plan around it. The full catalog is on the SASS-EE product overview.
What “higher strength” means in practice
In general, a higher DHA percentage produces a deeper color. But strength is only one variable: how the solution is applied, the client's skin, prep before the appointment and aftercare after it all change the result. A stronger solution applied badly looks worse than a lighter one applied well.
The strengths above 10% — 12% and 14% — are not published on sass-ee.com. They may exist as custom work, or they may not exist at all; the catalog does not say. If a supplier quotes you 12% or 14% DHA for SASS-EE, ask for the spec sheet before you plan around it.
Do not buy a number. Buy a range you can actually sell through. A strength your clients never ask for is dead stock, however impressive the percentage looks on the bottle.
Choosing for your clients
Start from your book, not from the ladder. A salon that sprays mostly first-time clients and a competition-prep studio have different needs, and both are served by the confirmed range — the question is which end of it you stock first.
- Spray volume first. How many clients a week, and how much solution per client? That decides gallons versus quarts, before strength enters the picture.
- Retail alongside back-bar. The 8% and 10% retail formats (1–8 oz) are the second sale after the appointment — a client who leaves with a bottle comes back.
- Start narrow. Stock the confirmed ladder, learn what your clients actually ask for, and expand from sales. The range is small enough to start with two or three SKUs, not twelve.
- Talk to the lab. Which strength fits a given client base is a formulation question, not a marketing claim. Robert at LabelOrigin routes that conversation to the Loveland team.
What to ask before you order
- Which of the confirmed strengths do you stock, and in which formats?
- Is a higher DHA strength available, and is it a stock product or custom work?
- What are the current minimums, sample terms and lead times for the strengths I want?
- What is the full ingredient list for the solution I am ordering?
- What rinse and development guidance comes with each strength?
- What happens on reorder — same minimums, same lead times?
If you are choosing between spray solutions and the rest of the line, the SASS-EE product overview lists every confirmed product, and the SASS-EE funnel is where the order conversation starts.