Deadly Secret Behind £25 Nasal Tan Sprays Sold on UK High Streets

What trading standards warns

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) says the sprays can cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure and serious respiratory problems. It also says they have a link to melanoma. Tests have shown that some sprays contain over 100 chemicals.

The CTSI and public health authorities warn that the sprays are not approved and do not undergo standard cosmetic safety assessments. They are illegal if sellers make therapeutic or disease-treatment claims.

Selling them is not illegal when they are marketed strictly for cosmetic self-tanning. That puts them outside the direct remit of the MHRA's medicines regulations, so they face less scrutiny than other over-the-counter beauty products.

Kelly Nichol of the CTSI says the sprays sit in a "horrible grey area of regulation". She added: "People are making these products at home, which could be unsanitary, and many other chemicals added."

What was found on sale

Reporting found tanning salons selling homemade versions with no ingredients list. Online sellers were targeting children with vape-style flavoured versions, such as bubblegum and watermelon.

In one North East shop, a "triple strength" Melanotan II solution was on sale for £25. The seller handed over an unmarked bottle of clear liquid from a small fridge, with no packaging or box.

Users describe the damage

Former Miss Great Britain Jen Atkin, who now holds the Mrs UK title, says she is "permanently scarred". After one spray up each nostril she felt so sick she had to stop driving.

"I thought it was just me getting used to it, so I had one more dose," said Atkin, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire. "But my forehead was covered in nasty black hyperpigmentation."

Nicki Hair, 58, from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, bought a fruity-flavoured spray online for £30 before a holiday. "Within half an hour of spraying it, I vomited," she said. Black patches of skin followed, and her gums went brown and hurt.

Nurse Zoe Michelle, 25, from Durham, used sunbeds and nasal tanners before being diagnosed with skin cancer. She says she skipped sun cream because she tanned so quickly. "Sellers are targeting kids," she said.

Pharmacist Thorrun Govind says the products raise the risk of skin cancer. "We don't know what they contain, no clinical trials have been performed and the harms are unknown," she said. "Stay away."