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A Word About Tanning Pills

U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Office of Cosmetics and Colors Fact Sheet
October 18, 2000

In their quest for the perfect tan, some people may look for a "magic pill" that will help them achieve this with minimal exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. There are no such pills approved for this purpose. Nevertheless, pills bearing tanning claims continue to appear on the market. Consumers should be aware of risks associated with such products, as well as doubts about their efficacy.

The Claim: Tinting the Skin by Ingesting a Color Additive

So-called tanning pills are promoted for tinting the skin by ingesting massive doses of color additives, usually canthaxanthin. When taken at these large doses - many times greater than the amount normally ingested in food - this substance is deposited in various parts of the body, including the skin, where it imparts a color. The color varies with each individual, ranging from orange to brownish. This coloration is not the result of an increase in the skin's supply of melanin, the substance produced naturally in the skin to help protect it against UV radiation.

'Tanning Pills' Are Not FDA-Approved

Although canthaxanthin is approved by FDA for use as a color additive in foods, where it is used in small amounts, its use in so-called tanning pills is not approved. Imported tanning pills containing canthaxanthin are subject to automatic detention as products containing unsafe color additives.

Adverse Effects Have Been Reported

At least one company submitted an application for the approval of canthaxanthin-containing pills as a tanning agent, but withdrew the application when side effects, such as the deposition of crystals in the eye, were discovered. In the August 1993 issue of American Pharmacy, Darrell Hulisz, Pharm.D., and pharmacist Ginger Boles described this condition - called "canthaxanthin-induced retinopathy" - as "a common adverse effect associated with canthaxanthin use," adding: "The patient experiencing this form of retinopathy rarely is symptomatic, although decreased visual acuity has been reported."

According to the article, the condition is reversible, "although it may take 25 to 60 months for complete resolution, and deposits have been detected for up to seven years following discontinuation of canthaxanthin." Hulisz and Boles also referred to reports of "nausea, cramping, diarrhea, severe itching, and welts" associated with the use of canthaxanthin "tanning" pills.

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