Advertisements from five tanning companies have been banned for making misleading and irresponsible claims about the safety of tanning beds.
Advertisements from tanning studios The Sun Company, SunShine Co and Tanbox Towcester, as well as Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, which sells tanning acceleration products, made “a number of problematic claims” about safety, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
Its misleading and irresponsible claims included that tanning beds are safe to use or that tanning can be achieved safely, and that tanning beds could increase 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 normalizing the use of tanning beds.
Long-standing advice from the NHS and Cancer Research UK says there is no safe or healthy way to tan using UV radiation.
Cancer Research UK warns that sun loungers use high-intensity UV radiation to tan quickly, which can damage the DNA of skin cells. This can lead to skin cancer, including melanoma, which is the most serious type.
Too much UV radiation is the third leading cause of cancer and the leading cause of skin cancer in the UK.
The ASA said the five companies' advertisements were irresponsible and likely to mislead people by downplaying the risks or presenting tanning as beneficial to health.
Some of the adverts also implied that the sun loungers could be used to help manage medical conditions, which risked deterring people from seeking appropriate medical advice or treatment, it added.
The five advertisers have been told that the banned ads must not appear again and that future advertising must not suggest that tanning beds are safe, provide health benefits or can be used to treat medical conditions.
Jess Tye, regulatory project manager at the ASA, said: “Given the serious dangers of UV exposure, it is vital that sunbed advertisements do not suggest that they are safe or offer health benefits.
“These rulings demonstrate that health information in advertisements must be clear, precise and responsible.
“Protecting people from misleading or irresponsible ads is at the heart of our work and we will take action when ads break the rules by putting people at risk.”
All five companies have been contacted for comment.
The Sun Company said: “We acknowledge the ASA's ruling in relation to an early social media post made shortly after opening. The specific content referred to in the ruling has been removed and we have reviewed our advertising practices to ensure full compliance in the future.
“Customer transparency and regulatory compliance are important to us.”
