After being told about nasal sprays by a friend to help achieve a golden tan, Edith Eagle was left hospitalised on holiday due to the effects of her ‘Barbie’ spray
A woman has revealed she felt like she was “drowning” in her own body after a serious reaction to a nasal tanning spray.
Tan-enhancing products are nothing new, but Edith Eagle was left hosp italised and unable to breathe after a severe reaction to an unlicensed nasal tanning spray she bought online.
The 47-year-old thought the idea of a nasal tanning spray was “brilliant” after being told about it by a friend, but was left unable to see, and said her neck and face had swollen up.
These sprays are being marketed with Barbie-inspired designs, in pink packaging and stamped with what looks like the official Barbie logo but have been linked to to skin cancer, kidney disease and erectile dysfunction – and in order to replicate the Barbie tan, can be easily purchased online.
Nasal tanners are designed to be sprayed into the nostrils and claim to work by administering a substance known as Melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation and while it is illegal to sell medicinal products containing Melanotan II in the UK, the tanners are sold cosmetically they fall outside that remit.
Ms Eagle, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had purchased tanners online believing they would give her a quick and easy bronzed look ahead of a holiday to Fuerteventura in April 2023 but didn’t realise they were unlicensed and unregulated.
She inhaled the spray twice a day, believing it would give her tan “time to build up before we actually get into the sunshine” but on the second day of the trip she was rushed to hospital after the apparent allergic reaction spiralled.
“I literally could not breathe and all what went through my mind was, will I even get to the hospital because I could not breathe. I can’t even explain it, but I was suffocating inside. It was as if I was drowning within my own body,” she recalled, as reported by BBC.
Experts are not at all surprised that the nasal tanning spray trend has the wits of “Barbie” fans on TikTok. “People always want to be tan, especially during the summer,” Dr. Jennifer Levine, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, told New York Post. “The Barbie movie has also added to the ‘beach’ trend.”
“Melanotan is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use, so there can be additives or other chemicals in the spray. There are many side effects associated with the spray. Many are GI related including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Priapism, or a prolonged erection, may also occur. There is an increased risk of melanoma as well,” Dr. Levine explained.
Do you have a story to share? Email niamh.kirk@reachplc.com
