Surprise! The Tanning Nasal Sprays Going Viral on TikTok Are Not Safe

Hard PassSurprise! The Tanning Nasal Sprays Going Viral on TikTok Are Not SafeAccording to dermatologists and cosmetic chemists, the science around them isn't just sketchy —  it doesn't exist. 

By Kirbie Johnson

February 4, 2022

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Soleil Summer // Allure

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There's a good rule of thumb when it comes to TikTok beauty discoveries: look into it. So that's precisely what I did after seeing a video for a "tanning nasal spray." It features a young woman with the following text overlaid: "Who spends all their money on tanning nasal spray to avoid spending Thursdays scrubbing off fake tan?"

As a self-tanning fiend, paint me intrigued. But as a reporter, consider me skeptical. A quick Google brings up a bevy of nasal sprays that promise a golden tan. The sprays claim to increase melanin production in your skin — including very fair skin — and claim to make skin more tolerant to the sun. For best results, lay in the sun for a short amount of time. (Record scratch — their words, not mine.) The purported result is a semi-permanent tan that gradually fades over time, no scrubbing necessary.

But at the expense of potentially getting skin cancer from sun exposure? In the words of Justin Bieber, "Immediately no." But where's the education in that? With some sprays retailing for almost $200 and without much information — like, say, full ingredient lists — available on certain brand websites, it's worth nosing around. Here's what to sniff out about nasal tanning sprays.

What's in tanning nasal spray?

Finding the INCI list for many of these sprays wasn't as simple as it should be. One nasal spray that's found popularity on TikTok includes water, natural flavors, dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate, and L-tyrosine. "[The nasal spray] purportedly increases the levels of [the amino acid] tyrosine, as well as the enzyme tyrosinase — both are needed to produce melanin — so that more melanin is produced and hence creates a tan," explains New York-based cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson.

Florida-based cosmetic biochemist Krupa Koestline notes that we often find tyrosinase inhibitors in our skin-care products. "Azelaic acid, vitamin C, and tranexamic acid are regularly used in the cosmetic industry to treat hyperpigmentation and sun spots," she says. Essentially: more tyrosine, more melanin.

Dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate is a self-tanning ingredient which helps increase melanin production when used topically. The ingredient was launched in pharmaceutical company Merck’s self-tanner, RonaCare Bronzyl. However, compared to the self-tanning ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which turns the outer layer of skin dark in a matter of hours, dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate can take as long as 10 days. This is likely one of the reasons you find DHA more commonly in topical self-tanning mousses, sprays, and foams.

Why are these sprays concerning?

Let's get to the schnoz of it all. Are these ingredients safe to inhale in this manner?

"In the US, all nasal sprays or inhalation solutions are classified as drugs, which means they need to go through a New Drug Application process in order to legally be able to sell in the U.S.," says Koestline, who notes that dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate has not been approved for inhalation.

As for L-tyrosine, it most often appears in oral supplements. However, it's interesting to note that humans aren't typically deficient in tyrosine, per Los Angeles-based board-certified dermatologist Nancy Samolitis. "The reason L-tyrosine actually exists is because some people are lacking an enzyme so they can't make tyrosine – they have a disease called Phenylketonuria. But most people get it from their diet; they don't need to take [supplements] because their body can manufacture it."

On top of that, Dr. Samolitis notes there's not much, if any, data proving that the more tyrosine you consume, the more melanin you produce. "It doesn't really seem to work that way. It's kind of like, theoretically, if you take collagen — if you drink it — that's going to go into your skin. It sounds like it makes sense, but it doesn't."

The Verdict

To be blunt, inhaling an ingredient that isn't FDA-approved doesn't come recommended by any expert. And, of course, laying in the sun for any amount of time increases your risk of melanoma. Plus, there are additional concerns about the formulation of many of these sprays. "From the ingredient listing, I am not sure what other ingredients are in the product," said Koestline of one ingredient list she reviewed. “There are no preservatives listed for being a water-based product; unless the 'natural flavors' include some of those preservatives. I would like to see long-term safety in use testing for the product in order to feel comfortable recommending it.”

"There's no proven safety of ingesting [dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate] at all," says Dr. Samolitis. “Whether or not it works, we don't know. And if they're telling you you have to go in the sun to make your tan show up, then you're probably just tanning like normal.”

Here, read how to self-tan the safe way:

• The Best Self-Tanners to Use on Your Face and Body All Year-Round
• How to Self-Tan at Home and Get Professional-Looking Results
• The St. Tropez Ultimate Glow Kit Made Me Feel Like I'm Actually Good at Applying Self-Tanner

Now, watch one editor try all sorts of (safe!) ways to fake a tan:

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Kirbie Johnson is an LA-based beauty reporter, on-camera host and producer, having spent nine years in the digital beauty and entertainment space. She hosts Gloss Angeles, a beauty podcast, and has produced 500+ beauty segments in her career, accumulating over 100M views by testing out the latest beauty trends and interviewing... Read moreContributor

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KeywordstanningTikToktrendingsunscreenself-tanningdermatologistscosmetic chemistingredientviral trendsskin cancer