has anyone seen any convincing results from their topical forskolin trials. If so, what delivery system/regimen ru using?

I would have thought that forskolin would be a non-issue since the melanocortins arrived.
Yes, I've been fooling around with forskolin for awhile and did indeed induce a tan.
I only applied it once a week for two weeks and didn't bother to shade the rest of my skin in the area, but it clearly works.
I need to improve the method, however it shows that the mice that tanned in the study have nothing on us humans.
If anyone is interested I can post a picture.

Here is a picture of the forskolin treated forearm area (on right) vs the normal tanned area (left) from just wearing short sleeves outside. I hope the contrast shows up. If people are interested I could try the stuff on a less sun exposed area to possibly better highlight the forskolin treated area.
It should be noted that I used 98% forskolin, which is a light colored powder and not the lower 10% or 20% which has residual dark pigments from the plant, so this darkened area is not an artifact caused by the less pure extract.  What you see is the result of two applications, one week apart though it was noticeable after the first application.
(Ignore the minor wound on the lower left and my manly hairs  )

Thanks for sharing the photo! I'm also interested in how you applied the powder. Also, how did you source the 98% forskolin? Directly from a lab?

Nyles7:
 
We would be most grateful if you would follow through with your news of the carrier and if possible, some clearer photos from your second trial.
 
Best wishes

I know forskolin could also increase hair pigmentation and was also used in an eyelash serum named talika lipocils ( to grow in darker lashes for light haired and redheads) . Could the mix for skin be used on your head of should I add something to make it work specifically for hair follicles?  
I've been experimenting with the 20 pct version and had two hairs growing in darker ( never ever had a dark hair on my body before) but as I'm not a scientist and just used a bodymilk and some ethanol, it's probably not the best method to achieve my goals.
 

In fact, yes.
I've been using it on the untanned crease of my inner arm.
This area sees little sun because I usually wear long sleeves and live in Hell...I mean near Olympia Washington, which gets little sun.
It is tanning, but it's sort of blotchy, lighter, and took much longer than areas of the body that regularly exhibit a tan.
I'm wondering if this is because the inner crease of the arm simply is not conducive to easy tanning (UV or otherwise) or it's possible that the sun's UV augments the forskolin induction of a tan.
I suspect it's the former, but who knows?
I'll post a picture in the next day or so.

Thank you for the update, your news is most welcome.  
 
I hope you will be able to share your carrier method and what type/percentage of Forskolin extract you are using?
 
BW

Here is the picture I promised of "Round II" of the forskolin tanning experiment.
It's the inside of my arm which doesn't get a lot of sun and even less so because I am in Olympia Washington (which is indeed Hell on Earth).
I am using 98% forskolin purchased from Sabinsa which is essentially a white extract, unlike the lower purity forskolin extracts that have a lot of dark plant pigments remaining and might confound the test results by staining the skin.
 
The left side of my arm in the picture is untreated (the control) and the right side, in and around the arm crease, is treated (maybe 4 doses?). Both sides of the arm should have gotten about the same ambient sun exposure.
 
You're saying to yourself "It sort of looks like dirt"
Not so much dirt in reality, as it's an uneven tan.
(there are a few small moles which seem to have gotten darker and can also be seen)
But yes, even I must admit that it does indeed look like dirt in the picture, which I'm hoping will make the picture more compelling since anyone faking positive results would hardly choose to post a forskolin tan that looks like this   
 
Nonetheless, there is something real going on.
 
I don't want to give out my method, not that I'm going to market it, but I think there are better ones out there and I don't want to contaminate your ideas. If you want to play with this (and I hope you do), you might want to pick up some Dr Bronner's Peppermint Pure Castile Soap (liquid) and exfoliate the skin prior to applying (hint).
Forskolin is NOT soluble in this soap, but the soap is a great transdermal carrier.
You shouldn't need a very pure forskolin extract, however don't let any skin staining by the very heavily pigmented lower concentrations of forskolin fool you into thinking you've tanned!
 
Remember what Richard Feynman said..."The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool."
 
I'd appreciate if any further experimenters would continue posting to this thread so I can find the subsequent posts.
 
Don't do anything to animals that you wouldn't try on yourself if you were in their situation.
 
Good luck and keep me up to date!
 
Nyles

I have no idea why this soap in particular is so effective as a transdermal vehicle. Maybe some of the other Castile soaps are also as good, but I seem to always have the best luck with this one.
So in answer to your question, yes I would order this one by name.  
It's the liquid soap in the plastic bottle.  
It is not the solid bar of soap.
A little goes a long way, so just order the small bottle unless you're going to also use it for its intended purpose. It's good stuff in either case.
 
Keep me posted!