There is much controversy over the effectiveness of tanning pills. Regardless of their effectiveness, their safety has also been called into question. There are two varieties of tanning pills: those containing carotenoids, and those containing tyrosine. (Some tanning pills contain neither ingredient, which basically makes them placebos.)
Tanning pills with carotenoids contain a pigment that is deposited into the tissues of the body when taken internally. It’s the same pigment that gives carrots their lovely orange hue. There are several types of carotenoids, the main ones in these pills being canthaxanthin and beta carotene (and, more recently, lycopene.) Ingesting carotenoids in quantities big enough to change the color of your skin is dangerous. They penetrate the fat layers that lie just beneath the skin, giving a “tan” appearance – but they penetrate much more than that: specifically, they tint every bit of waste that your body excretes with an orange-red color, including sweat and tears. The pigments are also deposited into the retina of the eye, causing permanent damage to vision. This is one of the reasons why this type of tanning pill has been banned in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The other type of tanning pills (also sometimes referred to as “tanning accelerators”) contains tyrosine, an amino acid touted to stimulate the formation of melanin, which is the skin pigment responsible for tans. But according to the FDA, there’s insufficient evidence to prove that these things do work – and actually, several studies have concluded that they’re completely ineffective. The FDA classifies them as “unapproved drugs” and issued warning letters to several manufacturers of this type of product.
The bottom line: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Getting a rich, golden tan by simply popping a pill? I don’t think so. Don’t gamble with your health where these “miraculous” tanning pills are concerned; in many ways, it’s just as harmful as “real” tanning.