If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
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| | You know how people love to say that eating carrots will turn you orange? Well, these days, youngsters on TikTok claim that it can do something way better: give you a bronzed glow without any contact with UV rays. The "carrot tan" is being touted as a safe sunless tanning hack for people with a light complexion. But could the quest for a safe tan really end in the produce aisle? We checked with Leah Maschino, a registered dietitian at Healthline. Find her answer below. | | | | The more you know!
Ginger Wojcik
Newsletter Editor, Healthline |  | | Written by Ginger Wojcik
April 9, 2024 • 3.5 min read | | | |  | | | Q: | Does the "carrot tan" work, and is it safe? | | | A: | Before you go filling your whole shopping cart with carrots, let's talk about what the "carrot tan" actually means!
Beta carotene, which is responsible for giving carrots (and sweet potatoes!) their bright orange color, is a carotenoid that your body converts to vitamin A. Eating carotene-rich vegetables and fruits can help improve cognitive, skin, lung, and eye health. When people with light skin tones eat more beta carotene than their bodies need for vitamin A production, it can result in a change in skin color. This is a condition called carotenemia.
While carotenemia itself is harmless, it may not be healthy to eat that many carrots. The number needed to reach that tanning effect is much more than you'd think — upwards of five large carrots a day. Overdoing it with one food runs the risk of displacing other foods — and the essential nutrients they contain — from your diet.
It isn't clear whether taking beta carotene supplements can safely help you tan. However, people who smoke or have smoked cigarettes should avoid these supplements, as too much vitamin A is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease for that group of people.
Importantly, there's no guarantee that carotenemia will lead to a nice bronzed tan. It may just turn your skin orange instead. | | | | | Leah Maschino, Registered Dietitian | | | Want to learn more about food, diets, cooking, or some other nutrition subject? Let us know at nutritionedition@healthline.com and we'll look into it for you! (Heads up, we may use your response in an upcoming newsletter.) | | | | | Sunless glow | | | | | | |  | | Tan-Luxe Hydra-Mousse Self-Tanner | | Asking for a friend: If the sun is a no-go and carrots are questionable, how are the hopelessly pale (read: people with light skin tones) expected to get a risk-free tan? Self-tanners could be the answer. These products contain active ingredients that temporarily darken light skin tones after brief exposure to sunlight. This option from the company Tan-Luxe is noted for giving a natural glow as well as being easy to apply. Just remember to also wear sunscreen since self-tanners don't offer sun protection! | | | | Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline's or Optum Store's vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Store are owned by RVO Health. | | | | | | | | | | | | What we're digesting | | 🍳 Like to reuse your frying oil? This new study may make you think twice. | | 🌱 Yes, you should be eating more flaxseed oil. Just one or two servings a day can be beneficial. | | 👁️ A nutritional guide to chronic dry eye. Add these foods to your diet to keep your vision sharp. | | 🤔 The effects of hepatitis C on your body. It can mess with your brain, blood, and liver function. | | | Thanks for reading, friends! I'm really dying to know if anyone has tried the "carrot tan," especially if you've had any luck with it. Tell us how it went at nutritionedition@healthline.com! (We may use your response in an upcoming edition.) | | | Until next time, |  | Take care of yourself, and we'll see
you again soon! | | | | |  | | This edition was powered by | | sun protection. | | | | |
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