WTF: People are Using Coca-Cola as Tanning Oil

In other WTF-is-the-world-coming-to news, people are now putting their skin through an even more fun hell this summer: slathering it in Coke (yes, Coca-Cola Coke) in the name of tanning. Yes, our crazy awful world that refuses to accept that skin cancer is A REAL THING that causes one person to die every 54 minutes, people have found a new way to get tan, using your favorite sticky, syrupy fast-food beverage.

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Although the trend originally gained popularity in the UK last year, it has resurfaced once again as warmer temps hit the country. The idea is that Coke contains caramel dye, an ingredient that can supposedly give skin a deeper, warmer glow, like a fake tanner, while also reflecting the sun’s rays enough to act like an actual tanning oil. So, you know, hella dangerous and not at all advisable, especially by derms.

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“While some feel that Coca-Cola can speed up your tan, it actually can be dangerous, and I recommend staying away from it,” said Zeichner to Allure, nothing that because soda is acidic, “it may exfoliate dead cells, enhancing the ability of UV light penetrate into the skin. Ultimately, this may increase your risk of a sun burn.”

Trust us when we say this trend is absolutely not worth trying, not only because each sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer, but because there are a billion better self-tanners that give you a true, natural-looking glow, without any of the dangerous side effects, like the St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Self Tan Express Bronzing Mist, or James Read Express Bronzing Mousse Face & Body, or any of the other nine incredibly excellent formulas we rounded up below, all guaranteed to give you a streak-free (and burn-free) glow this summer, no stickiness required. Click through them all, and promise us you’ll only use Coke for drinking, like Selena Gomez. Be like Selena Gomez.