This article was originally published in the Sun Care Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Step inside the #tanmaxxing trend on TikTok and you’ll find a sea of dark tans, but an even darker world that promotes unsafe practices in order to achieve a bronzed look.
Filled with content creators – ‘tanfluencers’ – documenting the steps they took to transition from fair to tanned skin, some share their ‘UV-maxxing’ strategies of tracking the UV index
to sit outside without sunscreen when it’s at its highest.
Others explain how they used Melanotan I or II injections or nasal sprays (also known as MT-1 and MT-2), which are unregulated and not approved for human use, to gain their tan,
often in combination with sun beds.
The ‘trend’ coincides with the declining use of sunscreen and the myths and misconceptions around sun exposure and sun care products among Gen Z.
According to a 2025 study by Vitality, almost a quarter (23%) of Gen Z say they would rather get burnt than cover up, and 21% admit they do not even care if they get sunburnt.
The UK-based study also revealed that one in five mistakenly believe you do not need to wear sun protection if you tan easily, and 38% think that sunscreen is only needed when the sun is out.
Mounting misinformation
Teen brand Indu urges teens to ‘future proof your face’ with SPF
The issues around young people and sun damage are alerting concern amongst dermatologists, skin and health care charities, beauty industry associations and the wider sun care industry.
Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Alexis Granite, who recently joined teen skin care brand Indu’s Creative Advisory Board, is seeing the impacts of low sunscreen use among Gen Z clinically, and says that while many younger patients are very engaged with skin care, “sunscreen is still often treated as optional rather than essential.”
She adds: “Some people dislike the texture or feel of traditional SPF, it can exacerbate common teen skin issues such as acne, some underestimate the long-term consequences of UV exposure and others are influenced by social media trends that make tanning feel aspirational.
“Trends such as ‘tanmaxxing’ are especially concerning because they can reframe UV exposure as self-improvement or optimisation, when in reality a tan is a sign of DNA damage in the skin.”
Half of Gen Z adults surveyed by The American Academy of Dermatology had been sunburned in 2024, while 64% said they had encountered sunscreen misinformation online.
“That matters because social media can make misinformation feel credible very quickly,” says Granite.
Sunbed use can increase the rise of developing skin cancer by 59%. Picture via Vecteezy
The Teenage Cancer Trust recently highlighted how ‘feel good winter routines’ promoted on social media suggest that sunbeds are a safe and efficient way to solve vitamin D
deficiency during the darker months, and boost mood.
“Sunbeds mainly use UVA light, and it is UVB light that is needed for the skin to make vitamin D. Therefore, sunbeds do not offer any significant vitamin D benefits – but they have been scientifically proven to cause cancer,” says Rosie Vare, Health Information Manager at Teenage Cancer Trust.
18 to 34s are the highest users of sunbeds in the UK, with the top reason for using them during the winter being the hope that they will provide them with a ‘vitamin D boost’ and almost a third hoping it would improve their mood.
Using a sunbed before the age of 35 is associated with a 59% increased risk of developing skin cancer.
Dermatologists are also increasingly concerned about the growing use of Melanotan products, particularly MT-2, among young people seeking a rapid, dark tan.
MT-2 is a non-selective peptide that stimulates melanocytes to create more melanin. To achieve the tan, UV exposure is then required to darken the pigment, with users either combining it with natural sunlight or sunbeds.
“The trend is increasing, particularly among younger demographics,” says Dr. Conal Perrett, Consultant Dermatologist at The Devonshire Clinic, who was involved in a study about Melanotan over 20 years ago.
“Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have normalised extreme tanning aesthetics and ‘instant transformation’ content.
“Young people are exposed to heavily filtered beauty standards daily, and products like Melanotan are being promoted as shortcuts to achieving a certain appearance quickly.”
Dr. Conal Perrett, Consultant Dermatologist at The Devonshire Clinic
Despite MT-2 being an unregulated and illegal substance in the UK, US, many other countries, it is heavily promoted online and can be bought as ‘research peptides’, yet are often marketed without adequately highlighting the significant medical risks involved.
The potential side effects of Melanotan use range from vomiting to increased blood pressure, and particularly with MT-2, systemic side effects, including priapism and cardiovascular concerns, as well as changes in moles and pigmentation, says Perrett. “In clinical practice, there is growing awareness of patients either admitting to using these products or presenting with pigmentation changes and skin concerns following use.
“We can also see the darkening of existing moles, which can make monitoring for melanoma and other skin cancers more difficult.
“There are additional concerns around excessive UV exposure, as many users combine Melanotan use with sunbeds or prolonged sun exposure to intensify results, further
increasing the risk of skin damage and skin cancer.
“One of the biggest issues is that we still do not fully understand the long-term consequences, especially in adolescents and young adults.”
The need for education
These trends all point to the same message: the importance of education, whether it’s about the health risks associated with unregulated tanning products and sunbeds, or the misconceptions that exist around using sun protection or no protection.
Kevin Cureton, CEO of Solésence, which makes mineral-based sunscreens, says: “I do feel like our industry as a whole has to be more assertive relative to messaging, and that we have to do so in a manner that is more approachable to consumers.
“This was a theme broadly shared at the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Partner Summit amongst a wide range of beauty brands, and all believe that it’s an important part of what the industry needs to do.
“I think we’ll be aligned in helping to improve that communication and build the trust with consumers.”
La Roche-Posay has launched a public health web-series, The Burning Truth, about the importance of sun safety, created by dermatologist and research scientist Dr. Whitney Bowe.
The series aims to debunk the surge of false sun safety claims online.
Action is also being taken beyond brands. In the UK, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Beauty, Hair & Wellbeing recently published a report ‘A Preventable Crisis:
The Case for a National UV Safety Strategy’ recommending a total ban on sunbed advertising and education, particularly for young people. Chair of the APPG, Carolyn Harris MP, tells Cosmetics Business: “Education is key – most people don’t understand the extent of the risk they are taking.
“We need to really get the message out about the dangers of overexposure to the sun and of using sunbeds.
“Social media platforms don’t monitor what these influencers are posting so there is so much misinformation it is no wonder kids are getting confused, and some of what being posted
is incredibly dangerous.
“Viral tanning trends are a huge concern, as are the countless posts from people with no scientific or medical backgrounds suggesting that using sun cream is a bigger health risk than not using it.
“It is vital that we tackle this issue through already existing legislation.”
Carolyn Harris MP, Chair of the APPG
The report points to an urgent need for a long- running national awareness campaign, coupled with education in schools.
“We have proof from other countries that it works. Australia’s Slip Slap Slop campaign has been around for 40 years and has dramatically reduced the number of skin cancer diagnoses across the country. It is simple – cover up, wear sunscreen, avoid sunbeds – protect yourself from the danger.
“Here in the UK, we are facing a very real public health crisis, and it is vital that the government, brands and retailers work together on a national campaign to reverse that.
“With the right messaging and better education, we can reduce the risk and ultimately save lives,” says Harris.
Another recommendation in the report, says Victoria Brownlie MBE, Chief Policy and Sustainability Officer of the British Beauty Council, is the role that the industry can play “in ensuring that influencers and individuals that they already work with as part of their communications and marketing activity are well informed and produce responsible and
accurate content.”
Existing initiatives that are already taking on this challenge are ‘Skin School’ (originally named The Creator Collective) which the British Beauty Council has worked to develop alongside the No7 Beauty Company, which was explicitly designed to tackle misinformation online by educating influencers to ensure they are sharing accurate information.
“In 2025, we made this programme open-source, allowing everyone access to easy-to-understand resources via a number of online modules, one of which focuses on skin
protection and the sun,” says Brownlie.
There is also a role for fun and accessible Gen Z-oriented sun care brands, which as Granite says, like Indu “make daily SPF feel enjoyable and culturally relevant” and “translate credible science in a way young people actually engage with”.
SPF that is more personalised to specific skin issues experienced by young people could also resonate.
Many acne medications cause photosensitivity and leave the skin barrier vulnerable to UV damage, so SPF use is vital.
But as Evelien Kahn, founder of beauty brand management and distribution agency MDV explains: “I can really imagine when you have acne that putting on SPF feels scary as
you’re afraid of inflaming an already existing skin care concern.
They are probably afraid of using any additional product so can end up in a cycle gets worse and worse, so there’s definitely opportunity for skin type-specific SPF, such as for
acne sensitivity.”
“The challenge is making sunscreen feel relevant, not just something linked to future risk,” agrees Granite.
And she adds: “Campaigns need to meet them where they are: creators, beauty communities and especially peer-to-peer content.
“The message also needs to be simple and visually relevant. For example, UV damage is not only about skin cancer risk in the future; it is also linked to acne, pigmentation, redness, uneven tone, collagen breakdown and premature ageing.
“Those are concerns many young consumers already care about, so education should connect sun protection to the outcomes they value now.”
Main picture credit: Photo by Tide_trasher_x on Unsplash