Experts warn about the dangers of 'tan-fluencers' who promote 'harmful' sunbeds and nasal sprays online
"If I’d known earlier how dangerous UV exposure and sunbeds were, I would never have taken the risk"
Experts have warned about the dangers of 'tan-fluencers' who promote the use of high-risk tanning methods such as sunbeds and nasal sprays on social media.
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There are thousands of videos on TikTok and Instagram showing creators using sunbeds, nasal sprays, and sharing tips to get the darkest tan.
While these videos may appear harmless alongside other beauty advice videos posted by influencers, the activities promoted can carry severe health risks.
The World Health Organisation classifies sunbeds as a group 1 carcinogen, the same as tobacco. Despite these risks, public awareness remains dangerously low.
Polling from Melanoma Focus shows that only 62% of adults know that sunbed use increases cancer risk, and nearly a quarter of 18 to 25-year-olds wrongly believe sunbeds actually reduce their risk of cancer.
Social media platforms and the creators promoting sunbeds or nasal drops fail to make the dangers clear to viewers.
TikTok’s policy states they “don’t allow content that shows or promotes dangerous activities or challenges”.
The social media company has advice and restrictions related to dangerous behaviours such as smoking and vaping, disordered eating, and alcohol consumption, but fails to address the harmful spread of tanning information.
Read more: 'It's harrowing': Inside Ofcom's investigations unit tasked with policing the internet
Sunbed promotion
Videos promoting, normalising and even advertising these potentially harmful actions are posted to TikTok and Instagram without any health warnings or age restriction notifications.
Some of the advice found easily on TikTok includes statements such as "UV causes the body to reach and produce endorphins which help improve mood" and "sunbeds are a great way to prepare your skin before a holiday".
Another theme of videos promotes sunbeds more passively, with users sharing their experience in daily vlog-type videos.
'Worrying'
Dr Thuva Amuthan, founder of Dr.Derme Skin Clinics, told LBC "the normalisation of these practices is worrying".
He said: "Short-form videos often glamorise tanning without showing consequences, disclaimers or long-term harm.
"Young people are especially vulnerable to this messaging, as appearance-based content can strongly influence behaviour before health risks are fully understood."
Despite the activity carrying a number of health risks, a report by Melanoma Focus in May 2025 showed an alarming trend of sunbed use among young people in the UK.
While a 2011 law banned sunbeds for under 18s, the charity’s research found that 34% of young people aged 16 to 17 are using them at least once per year and 23% at least once per month, putting themselves at serious risk of skin cancers, including melanoma.
'No such thing as safe tanning using sunbeds'
Health information manager at Cancer Research UK, Sophie Brooks told LBC: "Sunbeds give off UV radiation, just like the sun, and too much UV radiation causes skin cancer.
"In the UK almost 9 in 10 cases of melanoma skin cancer could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds.
"There is no such thing as safe tanning using sunbeds, and it’s illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use them - a law which we're proud to have campaigned for."
On the misinformation being shared online, Ms Brooks said: “Misinformation about cancer causes and treatments is common, especially online or on social media.
"While these stories often grab our attention, inaccurate information can spread quickly and lead to confusion, worry, or even harm.
"Not everything we hear or read is backed by good evidence, and some claims may be outdated, misleading, or simply untrue.
"Check the information with reliable, credible sources to understand what's proven and what's not, so you can take charge of your health.”
According to TikTok, they make content ineligible for the For You feed if it contains misinformation that may cause moderate harm to individuals or society.
Users can share personal opinions that don't include harmful misinformation, as well as share medical experiences, as long as they don't promote misinformation or discourage professional care.
Instagram also says they restrict content that admits to or depicts using a cosmetic procedure or surgery, highlighting its positive or negative impact, or side effects.
Nasal sprays
In an effort to get the darkest tan possible, some creators are encouraging the use of tanning nasal sprays. Some videos even link to where these unregulated products can be bought.
Nasal tanners are designed to be sprayed into the nostrils and are claimed to work by delivering a substance known as Melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation.
It is illegal to sell medicinal products containing Melanotan II in the UK, but as the tanners are sold cosmetically, they fall outside that remit.
However, they are also not covered by UK cosmetics regulations, meaning they are not subjected to the same scrutiny as other over-the-counter beauty products.
'Not safe to use'
According to Cancer Research UK, Melanotan nasal sprays and injections are not safe to use.
Ms Brooks said: “Melanotan products, such as nasal sprays or injections, are unlicensed and unregulated. They have not been tested for safety, quality or effectiveness, so we don’t know how serious the side effects could be.
"These products are not safe to use. Instead, we encourage everyone to own their natural skin tone, and if you really want a tan, it's safer to use spray tan or bottled fake tan products.”
Government crackdown on illegal underage sunbed use
New government proposals under the soon-to-be launched National Cancer Plan will strengthen requirements around commercial sunbed use, including banning unsupervised sessions and introducing mandatory ID checks to verify users are over 18.
Recent investigations have shown that teenagers as young as 14 are gaining access to tanning salons, routinely flouting the existing ban on under 18s using sunbeds.
Health Minister Karin Smyth said: "Stronger protections on sunbeds are needed so people understand risks that could have deadly consequences.
"The evidence is clear: there is no safe level of sunbed use, yet too many young people are being exposed to a known carcinogen with little understanding of the risks.
"These proposals will crack down on rogue operators and ensure the law is properly enforced. Prevention saves lives, and we will do everything we can to protect people from avoidable cancers."
'No tan is worth the physical and emotional toll'
Louise Dodds, who is living with melanoma, said: "My melanoma was found completely by chance during a private consultation for something unrelated, a mole that had become dark and itchy was removed quickly, and within a week I was told it was stage 1B melanoma.
"Hearing the word ‘cancer’ sent me into shock. I was rushed back into the NHS system for more surgery and lymph node tests, all within weeks. The procedures and the waits for results were brutal.
"Although some results were clear, others were inconclusive, leaving me living with constant uncertainty. If I’d known earlier how dangerous UV exposure and sunbeds were, I would never have taken the risk."
Natasha Gowan, who has skin cancer, said: "In my 20s, having a tan felt important, and I didn’t understand the dangers of sunbeds.
"I used them frequently for around two years, thinking nothing of it.
"Twenty years later, a mole I’d had forever started to change; it turned out to be melanoma that had already spread to my lymph nodes and I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.
"I needed multiple operations, underwent a year of immunotherapy and now live with the constant fear of it returning or spreading.
"No tan is worth the physical and emotional toll this has taken on my life."
Sunbed adverts banned
Earlier this year adverts for five tanning companies were banned for making misleading and irresponsible claims about the safety of sunbeds.
Ads for tanning studios The Sun Company, SunShine Co and Tanbox Towcester, as well as for Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, which sells products to accelerate tanning, made “a number of problematic claims” about safety, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
Their misleading and irresponsible claims included that sunbed use is safe or that tanning can be achieved safely, and that sunbeds could boost vitamin D, improve mood and energy levels, and treat health conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), psoriasis and eczema.
The ASA said it found the ads using its AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring system.
The watchdog said the rulings come amid public health concerns about the risks of ultraviolet (UV) exposure and the continued popularity of tanning, with some experts highlighting the role of social media in promoting and normalising sunbed use.
More information on common myths, risk factors, and signs and symptoms of cancer is available on Cancer Research UK's website. You can also call Cancer Research UK's nurse helpline for free on 0808 800 4040 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).