Thirty-four years ago, three Toronto scientists invented the UV index. It was a way of clearly communicating the dangers of the sun’s radiation, and was soon adopted worldwide. Today, it’s what teens are using to get as tanned as possible, as quickly as possible.
“I start by checking my weather app to see how high the UV is,” says Grace, a 17-year-old from Ottawa (the Star is not publishing her last name for her privacy). “If it’s anywhere 6 and above, I’ll tan. If it’s lower than that, I don’t bother.” On high UV days, she grabs her swimsuit and a towel, then heads to her backyard to lie out in the sun and read a mystery novel or stream Noah Kahan’s new album.
Some days, she tans solo; on others, it’s how she and her friends hang out. “A lot of people will bring spray bottles to cool off and it’s supposed to help you tan faster,” she says. “One of my friends was influenced and bought a tanning pool. It’s like the size of a reclining chair and you blow it up so you’re sitting in a little pool of water, and there’s a neck rest. It’s kind of cute.”
That influence comes, in large part, from the growing crop of “tanfluencers” posting TikTok videos all about “tanmaxxing” — as in, maximizing your tan. “Tan with me,” “tan fast,” and “tanning must-haves” are all skyrocketing searches on the app, and there’s an endless scroll of content on the best tanning oils, tanning tips and even tricks for turning a burn into a tan. “Do you want tan lines like these? Then keep watching,” begins one video that’s been liked a million times.
In a new national survey among Gen Z, 39 per cent reported intentional tanning, with 45 per cent of that group saying it makes them feel more confident, and 37 per cent saying it makes them look better in photos.
“For me and a lot of people, a tan just makes you feel pretty and reminds you of summer,” says Grace. “I like embracing my natural freckles that really come out in the sun.” Any former sun-worshipper over the age of 35 — or, ahem, millennials who spent their university years as tanning-bed regulars — can attest that those cute freckles will later amalgamate into not-so-cute sun spots. It’s a lesson learned the hard way.
Of course, risk-taking is basically a rite of passage in adolescence. But it’s striking that the generation of Sephora kids who get skin care routines before their driver’s licences are now knowingly harming their skin. Grace can name-drop niacinamide and glycolic acid (she uses both regularly) and knows that UV exposure causes premature aging and increases skin cancer risk yet tans a couple times a week anyway.
“We have a better sunscreen literacy than we did 20 years ago, but somehow social media has found a way to make sun damage look aspirational again,” says Dr. Julia Carroll, board-certified dermatologist and vice chair of the Canadian Dermatology Association’s Sun Awareness Working Group, the organization behind the survey on Gen Z and tanning. Last month, two different patients, both moms, showed Carroll texts from their daughters who were asking if they could skip school to tan because nothing was happening in class and the UV was high.
“A tan isn’t a sign of skin health — it’s a sign that your skin has been injured,” says Carroll. “It’s your body creating pigment to try to protect you. It may look pretty in the short term, but in the long term, you’ve got DNA damage, the collagen breaks down, the pigment can stay for a long time, and then there’s skin cancer. Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer, and even though the non-melanoma skin cancers can be cut out, they’re most commonly on the face and can leave very significant scars.”
Grace knows about these concerns, but she’s comforted by the fact that she wears sunscreen while she’s lying out. While wearing SPF and tanmaxxing may seem contradictory, the combination is actually quite popular among the endless scroll of TikTok tips.
“Sunscreen is helpful but it’s definitely not permission to lie in peak sun to tan,” says Carroll. “It doesn’t block 100 per cent of the ultraviolet, so if someone is still tanning through the sunscreen, it tells us that the UV is reaching the skin and it’s causing that pigment response. There’s no such thing as a safe tan.”
Carroll preaches this message not just in her clinic, but at home to her 16-year-old daughter. “Even having a dermatologist as a mom, the social media pull is still quite strong,” she says.
Tanmaxxing comes up frequently in therapy sessions at Toronto’s Behaviour Matters, a mental health practice focused on children, youth and families. “Some [teens] talk about TikTok and the trend, while some talk about the pressure they feel to tan and look a certain way,” says clinical director and child and youth counsellor Tania DaSilva.
That social pressure helps explain the cognitive dissonance behind tanmaxxing. “It isn’t about a lack of knowledge — they do know better,” says DaSilva. “It’s about how risk gets weighed out for them, where the immediate rewards of looking good, fitting in, and the validation of likes online is actually starting to outweigh that abstract future risk.” This is a fact of biology. “Teens’ risk assessment is still being developed — it’s only fully formed into our 20s.”
Young people have long used body modification to signal identity and belonging; what’s different is the breadth and speed at which TikTok’s algorithms deliver “come tan with me” viral videos. “It’s like, ‘I know this is unsafe, but all these influencers and people are doing it, so how unsafe is it really?’” DaSilva says. As well, this trend is often conflated with another one: wellness. “Lying out to tan is getting repackaged by a lot of influencers as self-care, and even the ‘maxxing’ comes across as optimizing the sun to make us look really good, so it’s actually becoming harder to recognize it as harmful.”
Naturally, many parents are concerned. DaSilva recommends broaching the topic with an open mind in order to have a more productive conversation. “Instead of lecturing, sit down and say, ‘Hey, so I’ve been seeing this trend online and I see you guys are talking about it. What are people saying about it? What do you think about this?’”
As you chat, avoid shaming them. “Wanting to look good and fit in is developmentally normal,” says DaSilva. But it’s worth stepping back to consider if tanmaxxing fits a pattern of other behaviours that could flag a deeper self-image issue. “Sometimes, they’re vaping because they want to fit in, they’re tanning because they want to fit in, and it’s actually more of a confidence piece that can be addressed and supported in group or one-on-one therapy.”
DaSilva also recommends helping teens find safer alternatives, whether it’s offering to take them for a spray tan, picking out self-tanner or finding a favourite sunscreen and cute hat for when they’re with friends. “If a parent is like, ‘I get the desire, but these are other ways you can go about it,’ teens are more open to it.”
And sometimes, a dose of reality doesn’t hurt. “I’ve done this with clients and family members, where we talk about real examples of sun damage, be it family members or celebrities,” says DaSilva. (May we suggest the study of twins with and without excessive sun exposure? That visual is hard to forget.)
This can make the far-flung aftermath feel more concrete, and help messages like Carroll’s sink in: “Future you gets a vote — the one who’s going to have to live with the consequences. It’s much easier to prevent sun damage than to try to reverse it later.”
Shop Gen Z — approved sun safety
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It’s an investment, but a big, easy-to-use pump bottle of this teen-loved SPF by the door or in their room makes frequent application a no-brainer.
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Reapplying SPF every two hours is key for avoiding a burn. To get teens to actually do it, Carroll recommends a handy stick for the face. This one goes on sheer and also packs niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, squalane and the Gen Z — fave brand’s signature watermelon seed oil for a complexion boost.
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While most dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen lotion for your initial application, a spray makes it easier to re-up midday. This mineral one contains a hefty 24 per cent zinc oxide for broad-spectrum, sensitive skin — friendly protection.
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Get sun protection and a fashion statement with this raffia hat and hair in loose waves or a beat-the-heat low pony.
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Protect eyes — and the delicate skin around them — with these sleek polarized sunnies that have UV400 protection, the highest rating in eyewear.
