What do experts say about the rumor that 'eating lots of carrots will give you a beautiful tan'?
Around 2023, a beauty trend called 'carrot tan' became popular on TikTok. This is the idea that 'eating three carrots a day will give you a naturally tanned skin color.' Lauren Ball, a professor of health and well-being at the University of Queensland, and Emily Burch, a certified nutritionist with a doctorate at Southern Cross University, explain whether eating carrots actually affects skin color.
Is TikTok right – will eating three carrots a day really give me a natural tan?
Below is an introduction to 'carrot tanning' posted by Isabel , a beauty TikToker with over 500,000 followers, in which she explains that 'you can get a natural tan by eating three carrots a day.'
Carotenoids are natural pigments that appear yellow, orange, or red in carrots, and also give tomatoes and lobsters their red color. There are many types of carotenoids, including lutein, lycopene, and alpha-carotene, and the bright orange color of carrots comes from beta-carotene .
According to experts, consuming foods that contain beta-carotene can actually cause the skin to take on an orange hue. When foods containing beta-carotene are digested, intestinal cells break it down into two forms of retinol (vitamin A). Vitamin A is used for many important bodily functions, including vision, reproduction, immunity, and nutrition to promote growth. However, if your body has enough vitamin A, the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A is inhibited.
Beta-carotene that is not converted to vitamin A is stored in the liver or fat tissue, or excreted in feces. Beta-carotene can also be excreted from sweat glands on the exterior of the skin, which is why 'eating a lot of carrots makes your skin turn orange.' Medically, this is called '
According to experts, there have been no concrete experiments to date to detect a relationship between the number of carrots eaten per day and changes in skin color. However, past studies have shown that carotene dermatitis occurs when blood levels of beta-carotene exceed 250 to 500 micrograms per deciliter. A 2012 case report confirmed that eating about 3 kilograms per week, or about seven large carrots per day, can cause skin color changes. Some experts also claim that it is necessary to eat 10 carrots a day for several weeks.
The amount of carrots needed to change skin color depends on the type and size of the carrots, their ripeness, how they are cooked, and whether they are eaten with a fat source. There are other foods that contain beta-carotene besides carrots, but preformed vitamin A, found in dairy products, fish, and meat such as liver, can be toxic if consumed in large quantities. The vitamin A found in carrots is classified as provitamin A, and since the conversion of provitamin A to vitamin A in the body is controlled, it is said that there is no problem with consuming large amounts.
Overall, eating carrots can indeed change your skin color through the action of beta-carotene, but the amount needed is large, and consuming large amounts of foods or supplements that contain vitamin A can be harmful to your health. However, experts say that consuming more vegetables other than carrots can help naturally improve your skin tone.
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