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The science of tanning: Understand the true impact on your skin

The science of tanning: Understand the true impact on your skin

As a brand firmly committed to promoting healthy skin, we feel it's important to discuss the subject of tanning, especially in the build-up to summer.

Since the 60s, tanning has been a symbol of status, signifying wealth, summer holidays on tropical islands, an outdoor lifestyle, fitness and overall robust health.

The sense of 'looking more attractive with a tan' is still engrained in today's society, some 60 years on; like a troublesome weed, the roots are strong and deep.

Yet despite the cultural appeal, tanning can have serious physiological effects on your skin and long-term skin health. In today's post, we'll explore the science behind tanning and explain how you can get the best of both worlds by tanning 'safely'.

Understanding the tanning process

When your skin becomes threatened by UV rays from the sun or a sunbed, it enters survival mode.

Cells called melanocytes are immediately triggered to produce extra melanin, sending it to the cells on the skin’s surface. Melanin is the naturally occurring pigment that gives your hair, skin and eyes their distinctive colour — the more melanin you have, the darker your natural skin tone.

Melanin can absorb UV light and is also highly effective at scattering it. So, when under UV attack, the extra melanin that’s produced quickly goes to work to try and defend deeper-lying, more ‘valuable’ parts of the skin from UV damage.

Cosmetically speaking, this excess melanin forms an ‘umbrella’ that makes the skin darker. This is what we know as a 'suntan'. The longer your skin is threatened by UV, the more melanin is produced to defend you — which means a deeper tan. Essentially, more pigment builds up the longer you stay exposed.

People who are fair have less melanin naturally, and the extra melanin they do produce isn’t as effective. In the case of very fair skin, the protective 'umbrella' is almost transparent, so UV light can pass through easily — which is why fair skin can burn relatively quickly and severely.

How effective is this natural sunscreen?

Skin is highly individual, so not everybody has the same capacity to protect themselves. But even for those who can form a solid base tan (or who are naturally dark-skinned), it cannot be relied upon to prevent sunburn or other skin damage.

A base tan provides roughly the equivalent of SPF 3–5, when dermatologists agree we should all be wearing at least SPF 30 every day of the year.

Secondly — and crucially — a tan does not prevent deeper skin damage. UV light causes DNA mutations that can lead to skin cancer, and it breaks down the connective fibres in your skin, which causes wrinkles, sagging, and sunspots.

Boosting your defences with clothing or SPF 50+ products is vital when UV is present. Your skin health is more important than a 48-hour tan. And for anyone worried about vitamin D: your body can make all the vitamin D it needs with around 10 minutes of sub-sunburn sun exposure — even while wearing sunscreen1.

In conclusion...

Think of a tan like a fire alarm in a house fire: it’s a warning sign. Ideally, the alarm doesn’t go off — and there’s no fire to deal with. That’s how we feel about tanning. A tan is a sign of skin damage and your body’s way of alerting you to potential long-term harm. So, avoid it altogether and protect your skin.

Bah humbug…

Yes, we recognise that some people like the look of being tanned — and we completely understand that. We’d be the first to admit that a tan makes us feel better.

Fortunately, there are safer alternatives if you’re willing to see past outdated social taboos.

  1. Sunless tanning products like self-tanning lotions, sprays and creams provide a safe way to achieve a tan without exposing your skin to UV radiation. These products contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which reacts with amino acids on the skin's surface, temporarily darkening it.
  2. Professional spray tanning works in a similar way. The DHA-based solution interacts with your skin to create a realistic, natural-looking tan — with zero UV damage.

Final thoughts

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. In the UK, rates have doubled since the 1990s and are forecast to double again by 20402. It’s plausible that part of this rise is down to the long-term effects of past tanning habits.

Skin cancer is also the most preventable form of cancer: around 90% of melanomas and 80% of visible skin ageing are caused by UV exposure. That’s why we believe your skin health is more important than cooking in the sun for a tan that fades in days.

There’s no such thing as a healthy sun tan. But a fake tan? That can give you the glow without the damage — and maybe even save your life.

1 Young AR et al. Optimal sunscreen use during high UV exposure allows vitamin D synthesis without sunburn. Br J Dermatol. 2019.
2 Skin cancer data: British Skin Foundation & Cancer Research UK, 2024.