Are Tanning Pills Safer Than Sunbathing?

Suntanning and tanning beds should be avoided due to the risk of skin cancer, but there are concerns about the safety of tanning pills as well. These are over-the-counter products that can give you a copper-toned glow without the threat of damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Most tanning pills contain an organic dye, called canthaxanthin, which is commonly used as a food coloring agent. While the dye is considered safe at the levels found in foods, it remains unclear if the amount used in tanning pills is as safe.

The article takes an unbiased look at the safety of tanning pills, including how they work and if there are safer options you can turn to for a sunless tan.

How Tanning Pills Work

Under normal conditions, people get a tan when UV rays from the sun penetrate the skin and activate skin cells called melanocytes that produce melanin. Melanin is the brown pigment that causes tanning and protects the skin from UV damage and burning.

Tanning pills work differently. Most contain a reddish-orange pigment called canthaxanthin found widely in nature, including in shellfish and in certain fish, mushrooms, and algae.

Canthaxanthin is approved for use as a food colorant in the United States and the European Union. It is not approved in Australia or New Zealand.

Canthaxanthin is similar in composition to beta-carotene, the compound that gives carrots their orange color. As with carrots, if you consume enough canthaxanthin, the pigments can disperse in the bloodstream and get deposited in the skin.

Tanning pills contain around 30 milligrams (mg) of canthaxanthin per capsule. If you take more, as some manufacturers recommend, your skin can get darker.

Are Tanning Pills Safe?

Canthaxanthin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a food colorant. When used for this purpose, it is generally regarded as safe if the amount does not exceed 30 milligrams per pound of food.

Canthaxanthin is a type of carotenoid commonly found in food that is thought to have health benefits. Among them, it has potent antioxidant properties that protect cells from unstable molecules called free radicals that cause them to age prematurely.

Although not approved for such, canthaxanthin is also sometimes used to treat a rare genetic disease called erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) which causes pain whenever the skin is exposed to sunlight.

Canthaxanthin is closely related to another carotenoid called astaxanthin which is widely sold as a nutritional supplement. Astaxanthin, taken at doses of 4 to 12 mg daily, is thought by some to improve skin quality, repair skin damage, and even slow skin aging.

Are Tanning Pills Unsafe?

Despite its approval as a food colorant, canthaxanthin has never been approved for use as a tanning pill, and there is no evidence that the amount used in tanning pills is safe.

According to the FDA, the average daily intake of canthaxanthin from foods (including ketchup and salad dressings) is only around 5.6 milligrams. At this level, canthaxanthin is generally regarded as safe.

But with tanning pills, a single capsule increases the canthaxanthin intake by nearly five-fold. If four capsules are taken, as some manufacturers recommend, you'd be consuming no less than 125 mg—or 22 times what you would normally consume through food.

Other agencies take an even harsher stance. According to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the acceptable daily intake of canthaxanthin is 0.03 mg per kilogram of body weight. For a 100-pound (45 kg) person, that translates to just 1.35 mg daily.

The FDA warns that the effects of canthaxanthin are high doses are unknown and advise consumers to "be aware of risks associated with such products, as well as doubts about their efficacy.

Moreover, the FDA advises any tanning pill containing canthaxanthin imported from other countries is subject to seizure and regarded as unsafe.

Possible Side Effects of Tanning Pills

Claims that tanning pills are safe are unproven. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are unsafe but rather that the risks are unknown. With that said, there are certain side effects and risks associated with their use.

These include:

• Undesired skin coloration: While some people get the desired bronzed look, some people may turn orange or get yellowish skin similar to jaundice.
• Eye crystal deposits: Canthaxanthin can sometimes deposit itself in the retina of the eye, causing yellowish speckles and blurring (usually reversible once treatment is stopped).
• Gastrointestinal symptoms: Nausea, cramping, and diarrhea are common side effects.
• Skin problems: Severe itching and welts have been reported among some users.

While some animal studies have suggested that canthaxanthin may be toxic to the liver, an older report issued by the European Commission stated that there was no evidence of liver injury in people with EPP who were treated with canthaxanthin for 12 years at cumulative doses of 150 grams.

Similarly, while there was one report of someone dying from anaplastic anemia after using tanning pills, it was never proven that the pills were the cause.

Safer Alternatives

For those who desire a tan but would rather not risk the harm of UV exposure, there are several products that are generally regarded as safe for sunless tanning:

• Bronzers are classified by the FDA as a cosmetic. They contain a topical color agent that can be removed with soap and water.
• Tan extenders and self-tanners are topical products that react with proteins in your skin to produce a darker hue. The product’s active ingredient, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), is a simple carbohydrate derived from sugar beets and sugar cane.

Summary

Tanning pills most often contain a reddish-orange compound called canthaxanthin that can give the skin a tan-like hue when taken by mouth. While canthaxanthin is approved by the FDA for use as a food additive, it is not approved for tanning pills. Moreover, it is unknown if the dose used in tanning pills is safe.