Sunbeds and tanning booths use artificial ultraviolet (UV) radiation to darken the skin. The health risks associated with UV exposure are well established, including an increased risk of skin cancer, premature ageing and skin damage. As public health bodies consistently advise, there is no safe way to tan using UV radiation and UV rays given out by sunbeds increases the risk of developing skin cancer.
CAP’s Advice Online guidance on Sunbeds reflects this position clearly. Ads must not claim or imply that sunbed use is safe, harmless or without risk. Advertisers should also avoid making health or medical claims — explicit or implied — about the effects of UV tanning.
Golden Glow or Red Flag - What Recent Rulings Tell Us
ASA rulings illustrate how these principles apply in practice. Complaints were upheld against advertisers whose ads made misleading claims about the health benefits of UV light from sunbeds, for suggesting that sunbeds could improve brain function (Jetsun Sunbeds) and for stating that the use of sunbeds could boost vitamin D levels (Golden Tanning Salon).
Most recently in January 2026 the ASA banned ads from five tanning-related companies whose marketing suggested sunbeds and a tanning accelerator:
- were “safe” or “healthy” ,
- could boost vitamin D (JD Tanning UK Ltd),
- improve mood or help with conditions for which medical supervision should be sought, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and psoriasis and
- for linking claims for health benefits with the use of sunbeds.
Shining a Light on the Code Rules
The ads were banned for being misleading (CAP Code rule 3.1) and irresponsibly linking claims for health benefits with the use of sunbeds (CAP Code rule 1.3), particularly since they downplayed known health risks, and for discouraging essential treatment for conditions for which medical supervision should be sought (CAP Code rule 12.2).
Sunbeds and Substantiation
Any marketers claiming that sunbeds provide health benefits should hold robust clinical evidence with trials performed on human subjects. All claims that sunbeds or tanning can help with any health condition should be substantiated with evidence. CAP’s Guidance on the level of substantiation expected in health, beauty and slimming claims provides more information on the types of clinical trials expected. For some conditions, treatment should be carried out only under medical supervision and therefore ads should not refer to those conditions to promote settings where there isn’t appropriate medical supervision (CAP Code rule 12.2).
Tanning and Targeting
When promoting cosmetic interventions, marketers should ensure targeting is responsible and does not trivialise the known risks.
In 2021, new rules were added (CAP Code rule 12.25 and BCAP Code rule 32.2.9) prohibiting the marketing of cosmetic interventions to under 18s. See our Guidance Note on Cosmetic Interventions for more information about this, as well as our Targeting and Children: Targeting guidance, and Advertising Guidance - Age-restricted ads online.
The ASA has previously upheld complaints about inappropriately targeted sunbed ads, including posts on TikTok (Persons Unknown and Golden Tanning Salon Ltd, 13 December 2023).
Avoiding Regulatory Burn
Claims about safety or health benefits for sunbeds are likely to attract scrutiny — and getting it wrong risks both regulatory action and consumer harm. When advertising sunbeds or tanning service, don’t claim that sunbeds are safe or provide health benefits.
Don’t forget that the CAP Copy Advice team is here to help shed light on things, if you still feel in the dark.
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