What are Superdrug’s tanning gummy bears, how much do they cost and how do they work?

GETTING a golden glow all-year round is important for many, with sunbeds, spray tans and fake tans all promising a bronzed look.

But one company claims to have invented the first edible tanning supplement – in the shape of gummy bears.

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What are Superdrug's tanning gummy bears?

Tan Gummies claim to “accelerate and enhance the perfect bronze tone to pale skins, with and without the sun”.

Company UTAN & Tone developed the sweet-like edibles, and recommend taking two gummies per day, sucking on the food supplement until dissolved or chewing thoroughly before swallowing.

Tan lovers should do this two to three weeks prior to hitting the sun for the best results.

If you are not going on holiday, they say to carry on taking the bears for roughly three to four weeks, or until you’ve reached your golden glow.

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How do they work?

Tan Gummies claim to give you a bronzed effect “from the inside out”, using vitamins, minerals and plant nutrients.

These include lycopene, lutein and astaxanthin.

There are also a range of EFSA approved ingredients, such as Vitamin E & Selenium, which help protect the skin from oxidative stress, Vitamin C to help with the formation of collagen in skin, and zinc and Riboflavin for the maintenance of normal skin.

How much do they cost?

Coming in raspberry flavour, the gluten-free and vegan-friendly bears come in a jar of 60 for £14.99.

Once you’re at the right shade, reduce the amount you take to one or two per day to maintain your sun-kissed look.

The product launched in March 2018, and you can find them on shelves and online.

Do they produce results?

In June, the Sun tested the gummies, awarding them a score of three out of five.

Our reviewer wrote: "I wouldn’t say that they made me tanned, but they made me glow.

"That isn’t bad for a month of eating jelly sweets.

"I have a feeling that I will go much darker as a result of the gummies when I do get into the sun.

"These gummies definitely do something without sun, it’s just not dramatic, but it is a result, and it’s without any of the dangers that sunbathing brings."

Other customers posted even more positive feedback online.

Kim Wilton, 32, sung UTan's praises, writing: "Two weeks of taking the tan gummies and I can't believe how much they are working! I never look tanned naturally and this is amazing."

But some were less impressed.

Writing on Superdrug's website, one reviewer called Jackie said: "I am now on my 4th bottle and there has been absolutely no colour change what so ever!

"Maybe they might work as a enhancer when used on sunbeds or sunbathing somewhere with a lot of sun but they do not work on their own as stated on the bottle!"

Our Dying For A Tan campaign

Instead of using tanning supplements, around one in ten young Brits, including children as young as eight, visit one of the UK's 7,000 tanning salons to use sunbeds.

But using sunbeds before you’re 35 increases your chance of developing melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - by a horrific 87 per cent.

That's why the Sun's Fabulous has launched the Dying For A Tan campaign to raise awareness of the dangers associated with the use of sunbeds.

Sunbeds pelt skin with ultraviolet UV rays with an intensity often stronger than the midday Mediterranean sun - 20 minutes on a sunbed is equivalent to four hours in the sun.

The radiation causes melanin to be released in the body, which gives skin a tan, but also causes skin cancer.

Cancer Research has revealed that rates of melanoma have soared by 45 per cent since 2004, with skin cancer now the fifth most common cancer in the UK.

Every year, 2,500 Britons die from the disease and 100,000 people are diagnosed with it.

During the campaign, we'll be telling stories of women who have lost an eye to cancer, had huge holes gauged out of their skin, and been left looking decades older than their age - all because of sunbeds.

One beauty blogger has revealed a hack to stop your fake tan going streaky in the shower.

And this product claims to be the best selling fake tan in the world.

Don't want to chew to tan? Spray tan brand Sienna X has launched three new products for people to use at home.

Beauty blogger ItsSabrina tests Bondi Sands' new 1 Hour Express Tanning Foam