UK ad watchdog gives sunbed firms until Dec. 7 to drop health and safety claims

Tanning salons in the UK have until Dec. 7 to scrub their adverts of any suggestion that sunbeds are safe or good for your health.

The Committee of Advertising Practice, the body that writes the UK's advertising rules, issued a UK-wide enforcement notice on the sector. It said it wanted to "send a clear message to the industry that advertisers mustn't downplay the risks associated with sunbed use or present it as a route to better health."

After the deadline, the CAP says it will take "swift action" against rule breakers.

What the notice forbids

The notice tells businesses not to make medical claims, not to promote sunbeds as a source of vitamin D, and not to suggest the beds are safe.

The CAP said it had found advertisers claiming that sunbeds can ease eczema symptoms, improve brain function, reduce inflammation and boost circulation. It said such claims could push people to use sunbeds believing they offer health benefits, or discourage them from seeking proper medical treatment.

"Sunbeds carry serious health risks, including an increased risk of skin cancer," said CAP compliance executive James Burnett. "Advertisers must review their claims and make any necessary changes now."

Burnett said the CAP will use an AI-based monitoring system to find ads that keep breaking the rules.

Not the first warning

In January, the Advertising Standards Authority, which enforces the CAP code, banned five sunbed ads. They claimed the beds could help treat or manage conditions including psoriasis, osteoporosis and depression, and suggested wider health benefits.

The BBC also identified hundreds of social media videos earlier this year claiming sunbeds could boost energy and treat skin conditions or mental health problems.

The health evidence

The NHS and Cancer Research UK have long said there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan from UV radiation. The NHS warns that UV from sunbeds raises the risk of skin cancer.

The World Health Organization says using a sunbed before age 35 raises the risk of melanoma later in life by 59%.

Young adults are the heaviest users. A 2025 YouGov survey found about one in seven 18-to-24-year-olds used a sunbed in the past year, double the average across all age groups.

Rosie Vare, health information manager at Teenage Cancer Trust, welcomed the tougher enforcement. She noted that skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in young adults and urged young people to check the NHS or cancer charities for information.

What the industry says

Sunbed use remains legal across the UK. The law caps the strength of UV light the machines can emit and bans anyone under 18 from using them.

The Sunbed Association, which represents about half of the UK's tanning salons, says it backs action on misleading ads. Its chairman, Gary Lipman, drew a line between the claims the CAP is targeting and ordinary business description.

"There is a world of difference between claiming something is risk free and explaining that a business operates responsibly," Lipman said. "Professional salons invest in staff training, customer screening and compliance with recognised standards and legislation. It makes no sense to prevent them from communicating those commitments to customers."

Lipman also said the association welcomed "the constructive engagement and common-sense approach applied by CAP when we brought our concerns to their attention."

The line still to be drawn

This is an advertising rule, not a ban. Adults can still legally book a session. What changes is what a salon can put in a post or on a poster to get them through the door.

Saying a bed treats depression is a medical claim with no support behind it, and the ASA has already ruled on that. The harder cases come from the other side of Lipman's distinction. The notice bars any suggestion that sunbeds are safe, while the trade body wants salons free to describe their screening and staff training. The CAP has not published where it will draw that line.

The first real test arrives after Dec. 7, when the CAP's monitoring system begins flagging ads that still carry the banned claims.