As a Dermatologist, I Filed a Complaint Against Indigo Sun, the UK’s Biggest Sunbed Chain. Now, the ASA Ruling Means Their Adverts Are Being Taken Down Nationwide.

Earlier this year, I filed an official complaint against one of the UK’s biggest sunbed chains, saying their advertising was misleading and irresponsible. An investigation followed — and it turns out I was right.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that Indigo Sun must remove adverts claiming that tanning beds bring “major health benefits,” reduce deaths from cancer and heart disease, and are not linked to melanoma. The regulator found the adverts to be “misleading, unsubstantiated and irresponsible,” and they now have to be taken down across the UK.

It’s a big win for public health. But it also made me reflect on how often people complain about problems without ever taking the next step to fix them.

Why moaning isn’t enough

Moaning can feel good in the moment — therapeutic, even. But it doesn’t change anything. I’ve always believed in acting, both personally and professionally. If I don’t like a dress, I don’t keep it out of guilt. I sell it, give it away, or make space for something better. If I’ve had a pay dispute, I’ve taken it to managers and the British Medical Association (BMA) and had it resolved.

In medicine, if something goes wrong, we have reporting systems like Datix for a reason. Yet in every hospital I’ve worked in, people complain about working conditions or patient safety but rarely submit reports, assuming “nothing will change.” That reluctance doesn’t just demoralise staff: it puts patients at risk.

The Indigo Sun adverts: perspective from a dermatologist

Earlier this year, Indigo Sun ran a glossy advert called “The Health Benefits of Tanning.” It told customers that “moderate responsible use of sunbeds brings major health benefits,” that “sunbed users showed a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality,” and that “sunbed use was not associated with melanoma mortality.”

These claims were supposedly backed by a University of Edinburgh study. Patients in my clinic were repeating them back to me — many of them very young, some already facing melanoma diagnoses. That’s when I realised venting wasn’t enough. I needed to act. So I reported Indigo Sun to the ASA.

The Industry Narrative

The sunbed industry has always hidden behind the same mantra: “there is no causal link between responsible sunbed use and melanoma.” Their trade body, the Sunbed Association, repeats it endlessly. But it is simply not true.

UV radiation is a Group 1 carcinogen, in the same category as asbestos and arsenic. Just one use of a sunbed before the age of 35 can increase melanoma risk by up to 75%. Around 85% of melanomas are preventable. There is no “safe” or “responsible” dose of a carcinogen.

The ASA Ruling

The ASA didn’t just say Indigo Sun’s adverts were misleading — they took them apart in forensic detail. To a casual reader, the adverts gave the impression that sunbeds had been conclusively proven to improve health. But the evidence simply wasn’t there.

Indigo Sun’s main defence was the University of Edinburgh study. It was led by a highly senior dermatologist, well known for strong and often controversial views on sunlight and health. Senior voices carry influence, and for many — myself included — that can make challenging them feel intimidating. But as the ASA showed, authority does not make flawed science robust.

The study relied on vague self-reported questionnaires, grouped all “users” as anyone who had stepped into a sunbed once a year or more, excluded the younger people who are actually the biggest sunbed users, and followed participants for too short a time to draw meaningful conclusions. Crucially, it was designed to look at overall UV exposure and mortality, not to test whether sunbeds improve health.

And yet, despite these significant limitations, the paper was still published in a peer-reviewed journal, and Indigo Sun then capitalised on it, presenting weak evidence as if it were established medical fact.

The ASA concluded the study was “not sufficiently robust to substantiate the claims in the ad.” They also ruled the adverts socially irresponsible, because they promoted sunbeds as a safe way to boost vitamin D while ignoring clear NHS and Cancer Research UK advice that sunbeds are dangerous, more intense than natural sunlight, and never a recommended source of vitamin D.

The outcome was clear: Indigo Sun’s adverts breached the code on misleading claims, exaggeration and social responsibility, and must be removed from every salon, website and platform across the UK.

Responsibility and Silence

I’m proud of this outcome, but also frustrated. A flawed study was used to justify harmful marketing, and it should not have been left to someone like me, a relatively junior dermatologist, to challenge it. Senior clinicians with more influence, including the authors of the study in question, could have spoken up sooner to challenge this irresponsible advertising.

What struck me most was how many senior doctors knew this kind of advertising was happening. They agreed it was wrong — and then moved on. This is part of a wider culture where people hesitate to raise concerns, whether out of fear, hierarchy, or resignation.

Finding confidence

I’ll be honest: until now, I don’t think I’d have had the confidence to put in a complaint like this. Challenging research tied to senior voices in my own field is intimidating. Some will no doubt have their opinions, and I may be seen as precocious.

But in the end, this isn’t about hierarchy. It’s about lives. Popularity doesn’t matter when young people are being misled into using a product that causes cancer.

I’m not naïve: I know the tanning industry will find new ways to sell sunbeds. But this ruling feels like an important step forward. Ultimately, I believe commercial sunbeds should be banned altogether. Other countries have already done so — including Australia, Brazil and Iran — and Ireland is now exploring the idea too. The UK should follow suit.

This case has reinforced something I’ll carry forward: I have to keep speaking up when something is wrong. Whether it’s another misleading advert, a patient safety concern at work, or worries about someone in my personal life, silence helps no one. If more people found the courage to speak up when they had good evidence that something wasn’t right, the world would be not only safer, but better for all of us.