UK watchdog orders sunbed firms to remove misleading health claims

The UK advertising watchdog has told sunbed businesses to stop making misleading health claims, warning that adverts must not present tanning beds as safe or as a way to treat medical conditions.

The Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP), which sets the UK advertising rules, has issued an enforcement notice giving advertisers until 7 December 2026 to bring their marketing into line. It says it will use an AI-based system to monitor adverts and may take further action against those that breach the rules.

The notice warns firms not to make medical claims, promote sunbeds as a source of vitamin D or suggest they are safe. CAP says it found claims that tanning beds could ease eczema, improve brain function, reduce inflammation and boost circulation.

CAP compliance executive James Burnett said sunbeds carry serious health risks, including an increased risk of skin cancer, and that adverts should not downplay those risks or portray sunbed use as a way to improve health.

The move follows an earlier Advertising Standards Authority action banning five adverts that claimed sunbeds could help manage conditions including osteoporosis and depression. The BBC previously [reported on sunbed adverts making health claims](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62grkyjxwgo).

The Sunbed Association, which says it represents about half of UK tanning salons, supports action against misleading advertising. Its chairman, Gary Lipman, said businesses should still be able to explain how they operate responsibly, distinguishing that from claims that sunbeds are risk-free.

Sunbed use is legal across the UK, subject to regulations including limits on UV strength and a ban on use by under-18s. The association says its members train staff to screen out high-risk customers, and its guidelines set a limit of 60 sessions a year per person.

The World Health Organization says using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma later in life by 59%. A 2025 YouGov survey found that about one in seven UK 18-to-24-year-olds had used a sunbed in the previous year, twice the average across all age groups.