Sustained concerns regarding the safety of sunbeds over the last 12 months have culminated in the UK Government considering increased safeguards and protections for users of sunbeds and we encourage you to make your views known. 

With data published in the British Medical Journal highlighting that sunbed use before age 35 increases melanoma risk by 59%, your response to a short 10-minute multiple choice consultation could go on to save lives. 

The proposals under consideration include making it mandatory for commercial sunbed businesses to:

1. perform ID checks, 
2. ensure supervision of sunbed use, 
3. provide information about health risks associated with sunbeds and 
4. supply protective eyewear. 

A ban is also proposed on the sale and hire of sunbeds to under-18s, and importantly, the promotion of unproven health claims associated with sunbeds

Speaking about the consultation, the Department for Health & Social Care, who are leading the consultation, state: “Evidence shows that using sunbeds is linked to an increased risk of skin cancer and other health problems. While existing legislation prohibits the use of commercial sunbeds by children and young people under the age of 18, reports suggest that this prohibition is not being adhered to, with under 18s using commercial sunbeds.”

It is hoped that these changes will strengthen protections for sunbed users, particularly for young people and those most vulnerable to harm caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure. 

The deadline to submit your response is the 14th of August. Click here to submit your response.

Pushing for action  

In its role as secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty, Hair & Wellbeing, the British Beauty Council supported parliamentarians in a recent inquiry into UV safety, which included the use of sunbeds. The report, ‘A Preventable Crisis: The Case for a National UV Strategy’, published in May 2026, made a series of recommendations that included a ban on unsupervised sunbed use, which is featured in the government’s consultation. 

The report, however, went further, calling for an outright ban on sunbed advertising, tobacco-style graphic health warnings, a ban on tanning accelerators and the introduction of a sunbed licensing scheme. It also recommended a review of these proposals’ success, with a view to implementing a national ban if outcomes around public safety don’t improve.

The APPG Reports findings were supported by a COMARE report into sunbed use in June 2026 which looked at the latest scientific evidence on skin cancer risks and on how sunbeds affect our health. The report, developed by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, known as COMARE, was clear: using sunbeds causes skin cancer.

The key findings were that UV radiation from sunbeds damages skin cells and directly leads to melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. It also found that there is no such thing as a safe tan or a healthy limit when it comes to artificial UV rays.

Because existing laws haven’t done enough to stop the risks, the committee’s report asked the government to consider much tougher actions, including a total commercial ban citing that it would save lives, prevent thousands of skin cancer cases, and save the NHS millions of pounds in treatment costs.

Victoria Brownlie MBE Chief of Policy & Sustainability commented: “As an issue the British Beauty Council has pushed for government action on for some time, we welcome this consultation and call for the full implementation of the recommendations within both COMARE and the Beauty, Hair and Wellbeing APPG’s recent reports. The Government has promised to launch a further call for evidence in the Autumn to look at where further action on sunbeds is needed which we hope will address these recommendations in full. Responding to the current consultation is, therefore, crucial: a show of support for these initial proposals can help move future sunbed regulation closer in line with what is needed to definitively ensure public safety.”