CTPA defends spray tans safety, rubbishes adverse reports

Coming down heavily on media reports, which suggested that use of tanning sprays may not be safe, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is trying to allay the fears of the public.

The association, on its part, is questioning the article ‘spray tans can give you cancer’ which was published in the UK newspaper The Sun.

In the article, the broadsheet reported on a research whereby it was speculated that cancer could be caused by dihydroxyacetone (DHA, the most commonly used self-tanning ingredient), according to cosmeticsdesign-europe.com.

The CTPA, on its website, said it was seeking to dispel any doubts the consumers, using sun-less tanning and those in salons providing this treatment, might harbour.

Earlier in July 2012 too, the CTPA asked the public to take into cognizance all the facts and research surrounding self-tanning ingredients and not pay heed to reports to the contrary being spread in the media.

During that time, articles suggested that DHA can cause adverse affects when inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream, causing asthma, lung cancer, and emphysema.

CTPA said: "There are no links between the use of dihydroxyacetone and cancer, as asked in The Sun’s headline, and furthermore, it is not based on any new research."

According to the association, all cosmetic products are covered by strict safety laws and that it is "extremely confident in the safety of DHA, not least because the SCCS has recently looked at data to support the safe use of DHA in cosmetic formulations and its use in spray cabins."

DHA’s use was recently reviewed by the European Commission’s independent expert scientific committee.

"The SCCS specifically addressed the question of the product possibly being inhaled from self-tan sprays and says the use of DHA as a self-tanning ingredient in spray cabins will not pose a risk to the health of the consumer," added CTPA.