‘Dangerous’ nasal tanning sprays linked to killer cancer – as Brits issued warning
NASAL tanning sprays may increase the risk of melanoma skin cancer, it’s been warned.
The sprays - often sold on social media - claim to accelerate tanning and are often sniffed prior to sunbed use, a known risk for skin cancer.
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Costing from £20 to £35, they are a hit with younger people and have become a social media phenomenon.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is urging the public to avoid any tanning product that is ‘inhaled or ingested’.
It says side effects include nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and changes in mole shape and size.
Coughing, sneezing and nasal congestion due to irritation of the respiratory tract.
Other reported side effects include prolonged erections, facial flushing and changes in libido.
The sprays contains a substance known as melanotan II which when inhaled, reaches the bloodstream and may stimulate melanin production.
Activated melanin creates a tan but “may also encourage abnormal skin cell changes in response to UV exposure”, according to the Melanoma Fund.
The process is considered unsafe melanotan II is illegal in the UK.
But due to the product falling under cosmetics, rather than medicines, it is not as tightly regulated.
CTSI has found accounts on sites like Facebook and TikTok selling nasal tanning sprays available in flavours such as peach, bubblegum, and grape.
It fears these products are being marketed at children.
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said: “We're becoming increasingly concerned about the use of both nasal tanning sprays and tanning injections and their potential links with melanoma skin cancer.
“These unregulated and illegal products not only pose serious health risks but also encourage harmful behaviours, particularly among young consumers.
“We urge the public to consider the long-term impacts on their health and avoid using these substances altogether.”
Gary Lipman, Chairman at the Sunbed Association, said: “Nasal sprays have absolutely no place in a professional tanning salon.
“We fully support CTSI’s campaign to heighten awareness of the dangers of using them.”
People using the nasal tanning sprays have publically told their stories in a bid to warn others off them.
Jen Atkin, a former Miss Great Britain winner from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, says she is permanently scarred after using a nasal tanning spray she bought on Instagram.
"Unfortunately, I decided to go to extra lengths and fell into the trend of nasal tan," she said.
Jen used the £25 product twice and a dark brown mark appeared "out of absolutely nowhere" on her forehead, which hasn't budged since.
The spray also made her feel incredibly sick. Jen described it as "actually horrific", adding: "It scared the life out of me. It made me feel so nauseous and weird."
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Student Erin Rider told Fabulous she believes that a £32 nasal tanner she bought on TikTok caused her skin to erupt in painful spots, which have left permanent scarring.
She said: “The spots turned out to be cystic acne. I never linked the spots to the nasal sprays but when I put two and two together and Googled possible side-effects, I stopped taking it immediately.
“The acne eventually turned into pigmentation and my forehead was patchy with visible white marks.
“I would never leave the house without heavy make-up. I didn’t want to see people because of how awful my skin was. Five months on, it’s wrecked my skin for ever. The scarring is permanent."
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple “ABCDE” rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
- Swollen and sore
- Bleeding
- Itchy
- Crusty
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person’s disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
“We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,” says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
- Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 - when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin - will survive for five years or more after diagnosis.This drops to 80 per cent for stage 2.
- Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun’s rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin’s DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
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