Spray tans and sunless tanners: what FDA says about safety

This page is for anyone thinking about a spray tan or a self-tanning lotion, including people going through cancer care. It explains what the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) says about safety.

Sunless tanners exist to solve a real problem. FDA describes them as products that provide a tanned appearance without exposure to the sun or other sources of ultraviolet radiation.

That is the whole point. These products give color without exposure to UV.

So the honest framing is not "is fake tanning as bad as real tanning." It is a narrower question about how the product itself is applied.

Here is the distinction that most people miss. DHA (dihydroxyacetone), the ingredient that produces the color, is used in sunless tanning products. But DHA spray application in commercial booths has not received FDA approval.

FDA's stated reason is procedural and specific: safety data to support this use has not been submitted to the agency for review and evaluation.

Not approved does not mean found to be harmful. It means nobody has submitted the evidence needed for FDA to evaluate it.

That is a meaningful gap, and it is the honest reason FDA gives its cautions rather than a finding about cancer.

DHA is not allowed in the eye area or on the lips and mucous membranes. Mucous membranes are the moist linings inside the nose, mouth and eyelids.

A booth complicates this. A lotion goes where your hand puts it. A mist goes wherever the air carries it, which includes toward your eyes, your lips and your airway.

That is why FDA's consumer advice for booths is what it is. The agency advises consumers to confirm that a spray tanning facility protects against exposure of the eyes, lips and mucous membranes, and against inhalation.

In plain terms, you can ask the salon for:

• protection for your eyes
• protection for your lips and other mucous membranes
• a way to avoid breathing in the mist

FDA notes reports of rashes and, primarily in the case of spray tanning booths, coughing, dizziness and fainting. It also notes that causation remains uncertain, meaning it has not been established that the product caused each reported event.

These are problems you would likely notice during or right after a session, so they are worth knowing about ahead of time.

There is one misunderstanding that carries real risk. A spray tan is not sunscreen.

FDA says products without sunscreen ingredients must carry a warning that they do not protect against sunburn. Do not count on a spray tan for sun protection.

Someone who leaves a booth feeling tanned and then spends a day outdoors unprotected may take in more UV while believing they were covered.

FDA says sunless tanners sold as creams and lotions are not a concern in the way booth sprays are, because you can avoid the areas where DHA is not allowed.

• Ask for eye, lip and airway protection in any booth.
• Keep the product off your lips and out of your eyes when applying at home.
• Use real sunscreen when you go outside, whatever your skin color.

And if you are having radiation treatment, ask your team before putting anything new on your skin. The treated area has its own rules, and they will know what applies to you.