The appeal of a fake tan is fading

Figures suggest there are fewer tanning salons than a few years ago and sales of tanning products are on the wane.

A paler, more natural look has become the sought-after skin tone.

As a result, the number of tanning salons decreased by nearly a third last year, according to insurer Simply Business.

Based on the number of requests for insurance quotes, there were 29 per cent fewer tanning salons than in 2011.

So far this year the company has only received 15 requests for quotes, compared to 78 in 2012, suggesting the fashion for sunbeds and spray tans continues to wane.

Over the same period, sales of fake tanning products also dropped, by 20.8 per cent in value and 12.7 per cent in volume, according to market researcher Kantar.

Earlier this month a study for a dating website revealed fake tan can put men off potential girlfriends, with a third of men saying it was not attractive.

A survey carried out by Cancer Research UK earlier this year revealed that 45 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds who use sunbeds are unhappy with their bodies.

The research also showed that 30 per cent of those who soak up the artificial rays do so to look more attractive.
Eight in ten of these unhappy tanners claimed they felt pressurised to look different.

Almost a third said they were influenced by peer pressure. A similar number said they were inspired by celebrities.
By contrast, the study revealed that young people who have never used a sunbed tend to feel better about the way they look – only 36 per cent were unhappy with their appearance.


The World Health Organisation lists sunbeds as one of the most dangerous, cancer-causing habits, as lethal as cigarettes.

Cases of malignant melanoma – the deadliest skin cancer – have doubled in the last decade, according to figures from Cancer Research UK.

Around 13,000 Britons are diagnosed with the illness each year and it causes 2,800 deaths.

Previous research found that using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of malignant melanoma by nearly 90 per cent.