A spray tan “shade” isn’t one fixed colour — it’s really two things working together: the depth of the tan, set by how much DHA is in the solution, and the undertone, which decides whether your tan looks golden, ashy, or (in the worst case) orange. Understand those two variables and choosing the right shade stops being a guessing game.

Most shade charts just show you “light, medium, and dark” and leave it there, which is why so many people end up with a colour that’s too deep or the wrong tone. Here’s what those shades actually mean, the DHA levels behind them, how undertones work, and exactly how to pick the shade that suits your skin.

Key Takeaways

Shade depth = DHA percentage. The more DHA in the solution, the darker the tan develops.
Undertone is the other half. Green, violet, and brown bronzer bases each correct different tones in your skin.
Salon shades usually run 6–14% DHA (plus 18% “rapid”), while at-home retail products are typically lighter at around 3–5%.
The instant colour you see is a guide colour — a cosmetic tint that washes off. Your real tan develops over several hours.
Match DHA level to your skin tone and undertone to your undertone, and aim for just one to two shades deeper than your natural colour.
When in doubt, go lighter. It’s easy to build darker next time, but hard to fix a tan that’s gone too dark or orange.

What “Spray Tan Shade” Actually Means

The depth of any spray tan is set primarily by the concentration of DHA (dihydroxyacetone) in the solution. DHA is the active ingredient in every sunless tanner — a plant-derived sugar that reacts with the amino acids in the surface layer of your skin to create brown pigments called melanoidins (Braunberger et al., J Drugs Dermatol, 2018). The dermatology research is clear on the core principle: lower concentrations of DHA produce a lighter tan, while higher concentrations produce a darker one (Draelos, Am J Clin Dermatol, 2002).

So when a salon offers you “light,” “medium,” or “dark,” they’re really offering you different DHA percentages. That’s the depth. The DHA does the actual tanning; everything else — the undertone, the guide colour, the develop time — shapes how that colour looks and behaves.

Spray Tan Shade Levels (and Their DHA Percentages)

Here’s how professional shades typically break down by DHA level and who each one suits. (Skin types below refer to the Fitzpatrick scale, which rates skin from Type I, the fairest, to Type VI, the deepest.)

Light — around 6–8% DHA. Best for very fair skin (Types I–II). Gives a subtle, natural glow without tipping into orange on pale complexions.
Medium — around 9–10% DHA. The most versatile, universally flattering option and the usual first-timer choice. Reads as a natural “week at the beach” glow on fair-to-medium skin (Types II–IV).
Dark — around 11–12% DHA. A step up in intensity, ideal for medium to olive skin (Types III–V) who want a deeper, richer bronze.
Very dark — around 13–14% DHA. Suits deeper skin tones (Types V–VI) or anyone after a dramatic, high-impact result.
Rapid / express — around 18% DHA. A high-strength, quick-develop solution where you control the depth by rinse time: rinse in about 1–2 hours for light, 3 for medium, 4–5 for dark. The colour keeps developing for up to 24 hours after you rinse.

Two things worth knowing. First, at-home retail sprays and mousses are usually gentler (roughly 3–5% DHA), which is why a salon “medium” often looks deeper than a drugstore “dark.” Second, protein-rich and dry areas — elbows, knees, ankles, hands — grab more DHA and develop darker, which is exactly why prep and exfoliation before a spray tan matters so much.

Undertones: The Other Half of Your Shade

DHA sets the depth, but the undertone of the solution decides whether that depth looks natural or off. Professional solutions generally come in three undertone families, and they work like colour-correcting: each one cancels an unwanted tone in your skin.

Green (olive) undertone. Cancels red and pink, producing a clean golden-brown. Best for fair, pink, and cool-toned skin — if your wrist veins look blue or purple and you suit silver jewellery, this is usually your match.
Violet (purple) undertone. Cancels yellow and orange, giving a cool, luxe finish. Best for warm, olive, and deeper skin — and it’s the go-to fix for anyone who tends to go orange with other formulas.
Brown (golden) undertone. A warm, classic, neutral base that flatters almost everyone and is a safe universal choice.

This is why two people can use the “same shade” and get very different results — the undertone has to suit their skin, not just the depth. Getting this match wrong is the usual culprit behind an ashy or orange finish. If you want to experiment with undertone control at home, colour-correcting Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops come with built-in green, peach, and violet undertones so you can counter your own skin’s tones, while a naturally olive-based formula like St. Tropez Classic Bronzing Mousse leans golden rather than orange.

Guide Colour vs Your Real Tan

One of the most confusing things about shades is that the colour you see immediately after a spray tan isn’t your actual tan. Most solutions contain a cosmetic guide colour — a temporary bronzer tint that helps the technician see where they’ve sprayed and gives an instant hit of colour. It rinses off in your first shower.

Your real colour is the DHA developing underneath, which takes several hours to reach full depth. So don’t judge your shade by how dark you look walking out of the salon — judge it after you’ve rinsed the guide colour away and the tan has developed. “Clear” solutions skip the guide colour entirely, which is useful if you want to see your true colour develop or avoid any transfer onto clothes and sheets.

How to Choose Your Spray Tan Shade

Putting it together, here’s how to land on the right shade:

Match the DHA level to your skin tone. Fair skin suits lower percentages (roughly 6–9%), medium skin the versatile middle (9–12%), and deeper skin the higher end (12–14%+).
Match the undertone to your undertone. Green base for cool/pink skin, violet for warm/olive or orange-prone skin, brown for a safe universal option.
Aim one to two shades deeper than your natural colour. A spray tan should enhance your skin, not fight it — going far darker than your base is what looks unnatural.
If it’s your first time, go lighter. You can always build up next time; over-dark or orange is much harder to undo.
Judge in natural light. Salon lighting skews colour — check near a window before committing.
Factor in the season. Most people are a shade lighter in winter and darker in summer, so your ideal shade can shift through the year.

Still unsure? A good technician will assess your skin type and undertone and often custom-blend to suit you. For skin-specific pointers, see our tips for pale and fair skin and for darker skin tones.

Why the Same Shade Looks Different on Everyone

Your final colour isn’t just the solution — it’s the solution developing on top of your natural skin tone. A medium solution reads as a soft glow on fair skin and a deep bronze on already-tan skin, because DHA darkens whatever base it’s working with. That’s why a shade that looked incredible on a friend (or a model on the chart) can look completely different on you, and why undertone matching matters more than chasing a specific “colour.”

How to Avoid Going Too Dark or Orange

Orange is almost always avoidable, and it usually comes down to one of three things: too high a DHA percentage for your skin, too much product applied, or a warm-toned solution on already-warm skin. The fixes are simple — drop to a lower DHA number, use a lighter application, or switch to a violet-undertone base that neutralises the warmth. Going lighter than you think you want is the single best insurance against an unnatural result. If orange is a recurring issue for you, our guide on why spray tans turn orange digs into the causes and fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do spray tan shades mean?

A shade describes two things: the depth of colour (set by the DHA percentage — more DHA means darker) and the undertone of the solution (green, violet, or brown, which corrects different tones in your skin). “Light, medium, and dark” mostly refer to the DHA level.

What DHA percentage should I get for my skin?

As a rough guide: fair skin suits around 6–9% DHA, medium skin around 9–12%, and deeper skin around 12–14%. When you’re unsure, choose the lower option — it’s far easier to go darker next time than to fix a too-dark tan.

What’s the difference between light, medium, and dark spray tans?

Mainly the DHA concentration. Light (roughly 6–8%) gives a subtle glow, medium (9–10%) is the versatile, natural-looking standard, and dark (11–12%+) delivers a deeper, richer bronze. The best choice depends on your natural skin tone and how deep you want to go.

Which spray tan undertone is best for fair skin?

A green (olive) undertone usually suits fair, pink, and cool-toned skin because it cancels redness and keeps the tan golden rather than pink or orange. Violet undertones tend to flatter warmer, olive, and deeper complexions.

Why does my spray tan look darker at the salon than at home?

Because the instant colour is a temporary cosmetic guide colour that washes off in your first shower. Your true tan is the DHA developing underneath over several hours, so your real shade is what you see after rinsing, not what you walk out with.

Can I make a spray tan darker without going orange?

Yes — go up a DHA level gradually rather than all at once, and choose a violet or brown undertone that resists orange. Building depth over a couple of sessions gives a deeper, believable result without the artificial cast.

The Bottom Line

A spray tan shade is really two decisions: how deep (the DHA percentage) and what tone (the undertone base). Match the DHA level to your skin tone, match the undertone to your undertone, aim for one to two shades deeper than your natural colour, and when in doubt go lighter. Get those right and you’ll skip the orange, skip the ashy, and land a tan that looks like it came from a great holiday.

For more on the process itself, see our guides on the difference between a spray tan and a self-tan and the complete airbrush tanning guide.

Research Sources

DHA Concentration & Tan Depth:
Draelos, 2002, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, “Self-Tanning Lotions: Are They a Healthy Way to Achieve a Tan?” Confirms that lower DHA concentrations produce lighter skin-staining while higher concentrations produce darker results — the basis of every shade level.

DHA Mechanism & Overview:
Braunberger et al., 2018, Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, “Dihydroxyacetone: A Review” Reviews how DHA reacts with amino acids in the outer layer of skin to create the melanoidins that produce a temporary tan.