TikTok influencers claim carrots are a ‘skin hack’ to get tan
People on TikTok have discovered a new “hack” to get a quick tan — and it involves eating your veggies.
Beauty influencers are touting carrots as a way to “change your natural undertone,” recommending three large carrots a day for a “glow.”
One TikToker claimed he’s no longer pale thanks to the orange vegetable, and another took creativity with her approach by blending carrots into a juice to get an “enhanced tan and healthy glow.”
Influencer @isabelle.lux posted a TikTok about her “carrot tan” — which has garnered 3.2 million views and 205,500 likes — where she showed photos of her natural skin when she was younger with no tan so viewers can compare it to what she looks like now.
She said she’s been eating three large carrots every day, adding, “I’ve been doing this for years. I don’t fake tan anymore, I don’t go out in the day during the sunlight.”
In a separate video with 2.1 million views, Isabelle claimed that this method will allow you to “change your natural undertone.”
“It changes everything, trust me,” she said in the video. “Literally, you’re gonna glow from the inside out.”
But some commenters pointed out how this “hack” could go wrong.
“I took my baby to the pediatrician because I thought she had jaundice but her skin changed from eating carrots,” one person commented.
“I did that once unintentionally and my face, palms, and bottoms of my feet turned orange,” one shared.
“My hands went orange because of this,” another added.
‘My sister had a phase where she ate large carrots and she turned orange,” someone said.
“I literally turned orange as a baby cuz I ate too many carrots,” another admitted.
TikTokker @izaszyszko showed in a video with 8.1 million views how she makes “sunshine shots,” which are juice shots that contain carrots, peppers and a chunk of ginger “for an enhanced tan
and healthy glow.”
“These will not only give your skin a glow, help you catch sun and maintain your golden tan but also protect you from the UV lights!!” she wrote in the caption.
She added that she adds the pepper for extra vitamin intake.
Another influencer on the app, @adixovic, promoted eating carrots as a way to change your skin tone long-term.
He wrote that carrots contain a lot of beta-carotene, are good for acne and protect against sunlight.
While experts say this “trick” isn’t necessarily dangerous, it’s also not actually a tan.
The orange “undertone” is due to carotenemia, and any food with high amounts of beta-carotene — such as apricots, mangoes, pumpkin or sweet potato — could potentially give your skin an orange hue.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, supplements for beta-carotene are not necessarily associated with negative risks.
The pigment change in the skin is a condition called carotenodermia, which is harmless when it’s due to diet.
However, large amounts of any antioxidant, beta-carotene included, can increase the risk of deficiencies of other nutrients by interfering with the absorption and could negatively impact the body’s natural defense system, according to Healthline.
People who smoke, have a history of smoking or have been exposed to asbestos are also advised to avoid high doses of beta-carotene as it’s been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer, according to Mayo Clinic.
This isn’t the only concerning tanning trend going around TikTok.
The wildly popular “Barbie” movie has inspired a cultural style phenomenon that sees people racing to take advantage of the highly merchandised brand, leading to one of the most potentially harmful social media grifts yet: nasal sprays that claim to give skin a natural boost of bronze.
The nasal spray contains the chemical melanotan II, an artificial hormone that causes pigmentation of the skin. Its commercial use is prohibited in countries including the US, UK and Australia due to its harmful side effects.
“Melanotan is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use, so there can be additives or other chemicals in the spray,” Dr. Jennifer Levine, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, told The Post.
“There are many side effects associated with the spray. Many are GI related including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Priapism, or a prolonged erection, may also occur. There is an increased risk of melanoma as well.”
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