Aspiring bronze beauties may have one less option for achieving a safe, summertime glow, according to a recent investigation by ABC News. Everyone knows baking on the beach or in a tanning bed causes wrinkles and nasty cases of skin cancer. But over the past decade, spray tanning, a service that’s offered by many salons, has been hyped as a harmless way to achieve a nice summer tan—until now. Research into chemicals used to create that bronze glow is raising concerns about spray tanning dangers.
“Studies suggest that the active chemical used in spray-tanning products, DHA, can trigger genetic mutations which could potentially cause cancer in humans,” says Dr. Lynn R. Goldman, dean of the School of Public Health Services at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Goldman was one of six medical experts who reviewed several studies on the safety of DHA, or dihydroxyacetone, at the request of ABC News last June. None of the studies involved human subjects, but some indicated DHA can alter genes and potentially cause cancer and birth defects.
“More research needs to be done to prove the link, but I would worry about the risk of cancer with these products,” Goldman says.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the external use of DHA in 1977. Back then, the chemical was only used in self-tanning lotions, which are still readily available over the counter and widely used by consumers today. Dermatologists have long recommended these products as a safe alternative to sunbathing and tanning beds.
But some scientists are concerned because DHA can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed by the eyes and mucous membranes during spray tanning.
“When DHA was approved, spray-tanning booths were not on the horizon, and the safety data provided by the industry at that time did not include these routes of exposure,” explains Tamara N. Ward, FDA spokesperson. “External use, according to the color additive regulations, does not include the area of the eyes, or mucous membranes (such as the lips), or exposure by inhalation. The use of DHA in tanning establishments as an all-over spray or mist has not been approved by the FDA.”
The FDA recommends consumers take protective measures during spray tanning, including wearing protective eyewear, sealing lips with lip balm, wearing nose filters and using protective undergarments, to limit exposure.
The tanning industry maintains DHA is safe, citing a 2010 report published by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).
More research needs to be done to prove the link, but I would worry about the risk of cancer with these products.
“Based upon the available data, the SCCS is of the opinion that the use of dihydroxyacetone as a self-tanning ingredient in cosmetic formulations up to 10 percent will not pose a risk to the health of the consumer,” reads the commission’s report.
Following the ABC News investigation, the International Smart Tan Network (ISTN), a training organization for the tanning industry, updated its spray-tan guidelines, emphasizing the FDA’s recommended safety precautions.
“Those things [protective eyewear, nose filters, etc.] are available in a professional salon,” says Joseph Levy, ISTN’s executive director and an advisor for the American Suntanning Association. “We want to encourage people to go to a professional salon, as opposed to using at-home products, or going to a salon that uses a product in a manner that we wouldn’t support.”
Dr. Reginald B. Henry III with Sentara Dermatology Specialists in Norfolk, Va., says the findings of the ABC News investigation have changed his advice to patients. He’ll still recommend over-the-counter, non-aerosol, self-tanning products, but he’ll caution patients about spray tanning dangers.
“The evidence isn’t there that it causes cancer, but it’s certainly potentially concerning,” Henry says. “When you inhale these droplets into your lungs, you can get more absorption. One would think if it was a big problem, you would have heard about it by now. I wouldn’t think it would be a problem with people going every now and then getting a spray tan, [but] I no longer will tell people it’s completely harmless.”
Updated July 10, 2019