Last summer, beauty journalist Tori Crowther uncovered just how dangerous tanning accelerators can be. Typically sold as gels or lotions, they contain ingredients like beta carotene, which comes from carrots, or Tanositol SPE, derived from the carob plant. Said to be “activated” by UV light, these ingredients can increase melanin (the skin’s natural pigment) and encourage a tan. But here’s the thing: Tanning, whether indoors on a sunbed or outdoors on a beach, can lead to melanoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer. So while the ingredients inside tan accelerators aren’t inherently bad, their premise certainly is.
