Warning made on TikTok ‘beer tan’ trend

A warning against a TikTok trend to cover your body with beer to get a better tan in the sun has been circulating. db investigates if beer tanning is a truly hot topic.

According to the firm who came up with the warning, Spa Seekers, there has been a 137% uplift in online searches for ‘beer tan’ since March this year, with the news circulating online this week.

As a result of the coverage, db decided to do its own research into the topic, and found that there had been an uplift in online searches.

There is definitely a trend, but it appears to go in waves, perhaps with the cycles of illustrations of social media users posting about it on TikTok and other platforms. It also appears to be largest in the US.

On TikTok itself, there are quite a few videos of the trend, although either of the specific hashtags #beertan or #beertanning don’t produce a large collection of videos.

@countryfarmgirl007 #tanninghacks #tanningsecret #tanning #howto #lifehacks #drinkbeer #corona #coronaextra #fypシ #beach #hacks #funny #foryou #jokes #jk ♬ Beer In Mexico – Kenny Chesney

Director of the travel firm, Spa Seekers, Jason Goldberg, who highlighted the trend, explained the unusual science behind why the beer tan trend has taken off on social media.

He said: “There is science behind why beer can help us to achieve a perfect tan, with the hops in beer activating melanin – the substance in our bodies which is responsible for making our skin darker.

“However, if you were to replace using sunscreen for a can of holiday beer, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to the sun’s exposure with no protection. Doing this can leave you at an increased risk of sunburn, heatstroke, or even sun poisoning in severe cases. Not only this but coating your skin in beer will leave you feeling sticky and at increased risk of being stung by insects such as bees and wasps.

“Instead of beer, we’d always recommend wearing an SPF of at least 30 and applying it between 15 – 20 mins before heading out into the sun for a tanning session. Remember you need to apply enough sun lotion in order to gain the full protection as specified on the sunscreen bottle.

“For adults using sun cream or lotion, this is the equivalent of a thick line of sunscreen running from the tip of your middle finger down to your wrist, for any given body part. If using spray, ensure you are spraying a minimum of 15 times on each area of the body you are applying to.

“Save the holiday beers for drinking and remember you can still achieve a great holiday glow, while protecting from the sun’s UV rays at the same time.”