The self-tanning agent dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was applied to human skin samples, and its effect on light absorption was followed in time to study the DHA influence inside the different layers of skin. Application of DHA shows increased light absorption in the visible light region, as evidenced by skin tanning. The tanning effect is enhanced by UV irradiation and appears localized in the near-stratum corneum layer as revealed by depth analysis of the time signal. As a reference, application of an emulsion containing titanium dioxide particles shows clear surface stability and a screening of light penetration beyond the stratum corneum.