Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen @isabelle.lux on TikTok go viral for claiming that eating three carrots a day can change your skin’s natural undertone, giving you a perfect, “natural glow”.
Look, we get it. You might be going on holiday soon and are trying to bag a much-desired ‘base tan’ before you jet off, or maybe you’re back from one and would do anything to keep your tan up. We’re here to tell you it’s probably best to stick to the self-tanner, even if people online are telling you otherwise.
According to the NHS, there is no healthy way to get a tan (unless you’re going full throttle on the Bondi Sands), and having a tan doesn’t protect you from the sun’s harmful effects.
The same goes for sunbeds. Indoor tanning can increase your risk of developing skin cancer, and can make your skin “age” faster, giving you a “leathery look”.
So, where do carrots come into all of this?
Well, although Isabelle Lux is correct in telling her audience – it’s not the type of tan you might be thinking of. Speaking to Abbas Kanani in a previous HuffPost article, we asked what this trend was about and if it was even safe.
He told us that carrots contain a compound called beta-carotene, a pigment responsible for the orange colour of carrots and many other fruits and vegetables.
It doesn’t end there, though. Dr Karan Raj has weighed in on the so-called “Oompa Loompa skincare routine” as well.
Dr Karan Raj explains that while eating three carrots a day isn’t bad for you, the change in skin tone is definitely not a tan and won’t protect you from UV rays.
He mentions that by partaking in this trend, you’re most likely to develop a benign medical condition called Carotenemia – “a clinical condition characterised by yellow pigmentation of the skin and increased beta-carotene levels in the blood,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
After finding this out, it’s probably best we opt for the fake tan instead. Eating three carrots a day might up your vegetable intake, but it’s probably not worth developing a benign medical condition, is it?