‘Tis the season for bronze summer tans, and in the effort to get their skin darker, faster, some people use tanning oil or even baby oil when they lay out in the sun. But some TikTokers are trying a different liquid to achieve their glow - beer. They’re pouring cheap beer on their bodies and basking in the sun and they claim it helps them tan faster, but experts disagree.
“Anytime summer comes about, people have different ideas on how to get a perfect tan — and, unfortunately, this one seems wrong for many reasons,” says Dr. Zakia Rahman, a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University in California. The thing is, regardless of what you use, whether it’s sunscreen, oil or even beer, dermatologists and other skin experts don’t recommend tanning. Dr. Kritika Joshi points out, “I always say no tan is a safe tan.”
But is using beer specifically a bad idea? Joshi says it’s not safe and “absolutely not recommended by any medical professional.” The alcohol in the beer could really dry your skin out, plus, it would wash off any sunscreen you applied and could also attract bugs. On top of that, beer could actually keep you from getting a tan, according to one study that finds putting beer on the skin could have the opposite effect and prevent tanning