Carrots are being paraded as a ‘miracle’ way of getting tanned quickly on TikTok, without the need for a sunbed.
The so-called ‘hack’ has been promoted by beauty influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers.
One recommended eating three large carrots a day to get a natural ‘glow’, saying that it will ‘change your natural undertone’.
Another TikTok user claimed he’s no longer ‘pale’ because of his unusual reason to eat carrots.
And one even devised her own recipe, which involves blending carrots into a juice, to achieve an ‘enhanced tan and healthy glow’.
TikTok beauty influencer @isabelle.lux, pictured left, says eating three carrots a day will change the ‘natural undertone’ of your skin. She shared images of herself without fake tan to show the difference in skin colour, pictured right
@izaszyszko adds carrots, bell pepper, ginger, turmeric and lemons to her juice before putting it in small bottles to help enhance her tan
Experts claim the trick — which has been known about for decades — isn’t typically dangerous.
But it’s not actually a tan.
Instead, the orange tinge is down to carotenemia.
Any food naturally high in beta-carotene, like apricots, mangoes, pumpkin or sweet potato, has the potential to turn your skin orange.
This occurs due to high blood levels of beta-carotene accumulating in the body.
‘Carotenemia when linked only to diet is usually not harmful’, says Dr Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University.
But eating a lot of vegetables packed with the pigment could risk deficiencies in other nutrients as other foods might be left out of the diet, he adds.
The desired orange glow could also mask other more serious health conditions, like jaundice.
Dr Mellor said: ‘It is also important, if someone notices their skin is changing colour that they are screened for other conditions.
‘Some individuals have genetic changes which means they are less able to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, so need to make sure they consume enough foods rich in vitamin A such as cheese and eggs.’
TikTok influencer @isabelle.lux has posted a couple videos about the carrot craze that have gained more than five million views combined.
In one video she says eating three large carrots a day will change the ‘natural undertone’ of your skin.
Showing images of herself when she was younger with no fake tan on, she insists her carrot consumption of the past few years has given her a natural ‘glow’.
In another clip, she says: ‘Just eat three large carrots a day, I’ve been doing this for years, I don’t fake tan anymore, I don’t go out in the day during the sunlight.’
She shared pictures of her natural skin colour which she said is ‘pale and pink like Peppa Pig’.
@alycemadden posted a video of her eating a carrot with the caption ‘me ever since that one girl said eating carrots made her tan’
@adixovic, pictured, said he went from being ‘pale’ to having more ‘colour’ without sun or products, just by eating carrots. He suggests eating up to three carrots a day to see results
@momentoflifestyle shows images of women sunbathing with bronzed skin, asks views if they ‘want a natural tan’. The video suggests that eating carrots or juicing them daily will help give you a natural glow
In another video promoting the beauty hack, @adixovic said he went from being ‘pale’ to having more ‘colour’ without sun or products, just by eating carrots.
The video, which has amassed 172,000 views, also claims that the beta carotene in the orange vegetable is ‘good for acne’ and ‘protects against sunlight’.
Experts warn that clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses and staying in the shade are the only ways to protect against the sun.
‘Whilst beta carotene present in carrots and other vegetables is an antioxidant, it does not provide adequate levels of protection against UV exposure’, says Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson.
She added: ‘Relying on this for sun protection could result in burning and damage to your skin.’
One TikTok, posted by @izaszyszko, gives a juice recipe for carrot juice ‘sunshine shots’ to help enhance tan.
She adds carrots, bell pepper, ginger, turmeric and lemons to her juice before putting it in small bottles.
The video has more than eight million views and claims that carrots have the power to give an ‘enhanced tan’ and act as ‘sun protection’.
A video, posted by @momentoflifestyle and with more than 3,000 views, shows images of women sunbathing with bronzed skin, suggest that eating or drinking carrots daily will help achieve a ‘natural tan’.
Other influencers suggest they have started eating more carrots since the trend went viral on TikTok.
@alycemadden posted a video of her eating a carrot with the caption ‘me ever since that one girl said eating carrots made her tan’.
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