We’ve all heard about the dangers of getting too much sun. Everything from painful sunburn, wrinkley skin, to the very worst—skin cancer. And how many times have we tried creams and sprays with less than perfect results? So does this mean we have to give up on getting that beautiful golden glow? No. There’s another way. With no blotchy patches, messy application or risk to your health: tanning pills. And while they’ve been around for years, they’ve come a long way and may be the best solution to getting the natural tan you’re looking for.

How our body tans naturally

Simply put, your skin has something called melanin. It’s the natural pigment in your body that gives your skin its color. People who have dark skin have more melanin, people who have light skin have less.

Your body normally makes melanin to try to protect the deeper layers of your skin from damage. When your skin gets damaged by the sun's rays it makes even more melanin to try to protect the skin from being damaged. This is what causes the skin to change color. Dark-skinned people usually turn darker brown, or tan, when they go in the sun. While light-skinned people usually turn more red, or burn, when they go in the sun. The best type of tanning pill would work with the UV rays of the sun to promote melanin production, helping all skin types get a tan, keep a tan and protect their skin.

So what is the best tanning pill to use without sun exposure?

There are different types of tanning pills available and almost all of them need some sun in order to be effective. Even Melanotan 2, an injectable peptide used for tanning, needs some sun in order to promote a tan. If a tanning pill claims it works without the sun, then it’s really just dying your skin, not enhancing your body’s natural ability to tan.

For example, tanning pills that work by dying your skin typically contain a chemical called canthaxanthin. Tanning pills like this completely change the way you develop a tan—there are no ultraviolet rays or melanin involved. And while a pill like this, that can tan you without the sun, sounds like a great option, the way it works is a little frightening.

Canthaxanthin is a food dye. You can see it on ingredient lists as food orange 8, carophyll red or roxanthin red 10. When you take a tanning pill like this, your body dissolves the canthaxanthin in the fat just beneath the epidermis. When canthaxanthin is consumed in large quantities, it begins to accumulate in that fatty layer, tinting the color of the skin, the same way it’s used to give color to things like ketchup, fruit juices and salad dressings. So with these pills you're getting a tan, well, like a ketchup bottle. Hmmm.

There are also some other concerns with taking tanning pills containing canthaxanthin. Even though canthaxanthin is approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food coloring, it hasn’t been approved as a sunless tanning aid.

These types of tanning pills are known to contain several times the recommended amount of canthaxanthin. This is because you need to consume high doses before you see results, and you need to continue using the tanning pills consistently for at least two weeks before your skin shows a noticeable change in color. Consuming large amounts of canthaxanthin has side effects. It can turn the palms of your hands and the soles feet or worse, your entire body, orange. It also has a more serious side effect called canthaxanthin retinopathy. This is a disorder of the eye that causes crystals to develop on the retina. These side effects are all reversible with time. But all of this may make you want to consider if tanning pills with canthaxanthin are, in fact, the best way to get that back-from-the-islands tan you’re looking for.

There is another choice. An all-natural tanning pill that combines essential tanning vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that work with the sun or tanning beds to promote the body’s natural production of melanin. Sounds like it could be the best tanning pill ever, right? It’s called Melatropin.

Melatropin doesn’t dye your skin or change your skin’s color with chemicals, so there’s no worry of looking fake with streaks or getting a bright orange glow. Melatropin is unique in that it works with the sun or a tanning bed to promote your body’s own production of melanin, the skin pigment that makes you tan. Taking Melatropin speeds up this natural process, so you can spend less time in the sun, and still get a great-looking, natural tan. So it’s really considered one of the best tanning pills for people who have fair skin. Melatropin can also help maintain a tan longer, so you can keep that healthy glow, even throughout the winter months when everyone is at their palest.

Another reason we love Melatropin™ is that our all-natural formula was scientifically designed based on years of research. Each ingredient in Melatropin™ is an integral part of a complete synergistic design.

Melatropin is formulated with L-tyrosine, lutein, beta carotene (vitamin A), vitamin B6, copper, and lycopene. All of these ingredients are found naturally in the fruits, meats, fish and vegetables many of us eat every day. Combined together in Melatropin, they can work to optimize the body’s natural tanning process and protect the skin.

For example, the body requires the amino acid L-tyrosine for the synthesis of melanin. Supplementing L-tyrosine helps ensure that we can achieve a deeper tan. Copper is crucial in the synthesis of L-tyrosine to melanin, along with vitamin B6, also key tanning ingredients in Melatropin. Other ingredients like lutein and vitamin A, act as powerful protective agents and can provide support against skin damage from UV rays.

Melatropin is also the only tanning pill that has been clinically tested and proven effective. It was shown to improve skin tone over 300%, and participants who used Melatropin were more satisfied not only with their tan, but with how quickly they saw results.