That site is very poorly maintained and inaccurate. Besides many other errors, the ingredients list is garbled and incomplete, and it's for the wrong product anyway.

http://www.supertrition.com/ViewItem.aspx?ItemID=102123

"What's in it? Ingredients: Deionized water,propylene glycol dicaprylaate/dicaprate,C12-15 alkyl benzoate,benzyl alcohol,panthenol,hydropropyl methylcellulose,sorbitan oleate,disodium EDTA,triethanolamine,carbomer,acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer,fragrance."

The list belongs to another Jan Tana product, a competition tan that washes off, and it's missing the colour and some other ingredients.

Here's the same product on another site, with ingredients that would be more likely to have the effects described.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jt/fasttan.html

"Deionized Water, Octyl Palmitate, Dihydroxyacetone, Benzyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate/PEG-100, Dimethicone, Panthenol, Glycerin, Cetyl/Stearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxymethylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Vit E Acetate, Vit A Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Red #4, D&C Yellow 10, D&C Orange #4, D&C Ext Violet #2, FD&C Yellow #5."

Yes, that's an example of a DHA-based tanning lotion (though the page doesn't mention DHA or any colour in the ingredients list -- see my later comment). There are many others, and other types of product, like sprays and wipes, with the same active ingredient.

You will notice that my profile picture shows the "before" look. I've tried a DHA-based tanning lotion, and I don't recommend it. It didn't work well for me. It left dirty-looking yellow patches at my temples, which took many months to fade. I think I'll stay pale. But it's very popular, and it presumably works better for some people. Different ways of applying it, such as with an airbrush, may work better.

The "instant color" is a good idea. I've tried only the colourless type.

The usual instructions are to leave it on for hours rather than minutes, but that doesn't mean the article you (snn) read is about a different active ingredient. It will be much less effective if you leave it on for just a few minutes, but it will still work. You have to wash it off quite quickly with soap to avoid a tan where you don't want it, such as on your fingertips if you apply it with your bare hands.

There are health warnings about these products. It seems they increase the effect of sun damage for some time after application.

Wikipedia has some useful information, but some reference links are broken, and the more important sources are behind the MEDLINE pay wall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunless_tanning#DHA-based_products

Only the DHA and erythrulose section here is relevant.

This page has some useful unbroken references:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-tan4.html
FDA: Sunless Tanners and Bronzers

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question639.htm
HowStuffWorks "How do sunless-tanning products work?"

DHA is dihydroxyacetone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydroxyacetone

Erythrulose works the same way:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrulose