Drinkable tanning drops are oral products marketed to tint skin from the inside, but the FDA has approved no tanning pills and the American Cancer Society says they should not be swallowed.
The bottles look like wellness shots and the marketing sounds like a shortcut: sip this, glow in a week, skip the sun. What the label rarely explains is that the working ingredient is a food coloring, taken in doses far above anything food uses — and that no U.S. regulator has signed off on drinking your way to a tan.
How Are Drinkable Tanning Drops Supposed To Work?
The claimed mechanism: swallow a coloring agent, let it settle in the tissue under your skin, and let that color show through as a tan. The FDA describes tanning pills as products “promoted for tinting the skin by ingesting large doses of color additives,” usually canthaxanthin, which gets deposited in the skin and other tissues. That deposit is the entire effect — no pigment production, no melanin boost, just a dye sitting in fatty tissue.
The dose is the part worth pausing on. Canthaxanthin is a legitimate food color additive in small amounts, but the FDA notes these products use it at amounts far above normal food use — a coloring agent repurposed at a scale it was never cleared for.
Are They Safe Or Approved In The U.S.?
No.
The reported risks center on canthaxanthin, which Cleveland Clinic calls the ingredient with the greatest potential to be dangerous. Documented problems include:
- Eye deposits — yellow crystals in the retina that may impair vision, per FDA reports.
- Digestive and allergic reactions — nausea, cramping, diarrhea, severe itching, and welts.
- Liver and skin problems, according to the American Cancer Society.
Canada classifies oral tanning products as drugs, with none authorized for sale there.
Do They Actually Give You A Tan Or Sun Protection?
They give you a color change, not a tan, and no meaningful UV protection. The American Cancer Society states these products do not protect against UV rays, and oral tanning products provide little or no sun protection.
A real tan is your body producing melanin in response to UV damage — and that melanin offers partial defense against further exposure. A canthaxanthin tint does none of that work: you’d carry the color of a tan while carrying none of the biology behind it.
| Claim | What Regulators Say |
|---|---|
| Tints skin from within | Canthaxanthin deposits in skin and other tissues (FDA) |
| Safe oral supplement | — |
| Provides a sunless tan | Color change only; no true tan produced |
| Protects against UV rays | Does not protect against UV; little or no sun protection (ACS) |
| Dose is food-level | Consumed far above normal food use (FDA) |
| Approved for sale in the U.S. | No tanning pills approved for this purpose (FDA) |
| Only mild side effects | Eye, liver, digestive, and allergic problems reported |
The FDA’s page on tanning pills lays out the canthaxanthin concerns in full. If you are comparing products that still make these claims, our breakdown of tested drinkable tanning drop options walks through what each one actually contains.
What Should You Use Instead?
Topical self-tanners. Cleveland Clinic points to them as the safer alternative, and they work on a different principle — the color develops on the surface of your skin and fades off, rather than depositing in tissue under it.
Don’t assume “drinkable” means gentler than a tanning bed. An unapproved oral product is not a lower-risk version of UV exposure; it is a separate risk with its own side-effect list. A topical self-tanner plus sun protection gets you a bronzed look without swallowing a color additive at doses the FDA flags.
Common Questions
Do drinkable tanning drops protect your skin from the sun?
No. The American Cancer Society states oral tanning products do not protect against UV rays and offer little or no sun protection. Any color change comes from a deposited coloring agent, not melanin, so the product does nothing to defend your skin from sun damage or burning.
Why does the FDA object to canthaxanthin for tanning?
Canthaxanthin is an approved food color additive in small amounts, but the FDA says tanning products use it in doses far above normal food use, and it deposits in the eyes and other tissues. Reported effects include yellow crystals in the retina that may impair vision, plus nausea, cramping, and severe itching.
Are tanning gummies safer than tanning pills or drops?
No. The American Cancer Society treats tanning pills and gummies the same way — not approved by the FDA and not regulated by it. Changing the format does not change what is inside or the fact that no oral tanning product has U.S. approval.
What is the safer way to get a sunless tan?
Topical self-tanners. Cleveland Clinic names them the safer alternative because they tint the surface of the skin and fade or wash off, rather than depositing a color additive inside your body. Pair one with regular sun protection for the look without the oral risk.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Tanning Pills” Confirms no approved tanning pills and details canthaxanthin dosing and risks.
- American Cancer Society.
- Cleveland Clinic. “Are Tanning Pills Safe?” Identifies canthaxanthin as the most dangerous ingredient and names topical self-tanners safer.