How would you like to get your own natural tan without hours spent in the sun or in a tanning bed and without the risk of skin damage or cancer from UV rays? One day that may be possible. And no, I am not talking about sunless tanning lotions.

There is exciting news on the tanning front. Scientists at the University of Kentucky are working on a new kind of tanning lotion, one that produces a tan by enhancing melanin production and also provides sun protection.

Sunless tanners on the market today stain the skin brown or orange and don’t provide a sunblock. Application can be tricky and results unpredictable. Sometimes users are discouraged by the results and go back to the sun or tanning beds.

But the lotion they are working on will produce a real tan by increasing melanin production. Melanin provides the skin its own natural protection from the sun’s damaging rays.

So far the researchers have only tested the lotion on animal models, but are hopeful that this lotion can eventually be used by even the lightest skinned individuals to create a natural tan and provide needed sun protection without the necessity of constantly re-applying sunscreen.