Can Eating Carrots Give You a Natural Tan?

Carrots won't necessarily give you a sun-kissed glow, but they can make your skin appear yellow-orange if eaten in excess. This harmless condition, called carotenemia, results from beta-carotene buildup and may take months to reverse.

What Happens to Your Skin If You Eat Carrots Daily?

Eating a few carrots daily can gradually change your skin tone. Carrots are high in beta-carotene, which provides their orange color, according to Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition.

“For most people, consuming 10 to 20 milligrams of beta-carotene can cause skin changes, which is equivalent to five medium-sized carrots a day,” Czerwony said. However, it takes weeks of daily consumption to notice changes.

Eating too much beta-carotene can lead to a mostly harmless condition called carotenemia, which causes the skin to turn yellow-orange.

This discoloration won't simply disappear in a week, Czerwony added. “It may take several months to go back to the original skin tone."

What Role Does Beta-Carotene Play in Skin Health?

“A portion of the beta-carotene we eat undergoes a chemical conversion to retinol in the livers and serves as an important source of vitamin A,” said Eva Rawlings Parker, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

When ingested in large amounts, carotenoids build up in the blood and deposit in the skin, causing a yellow-orange hue, she explained. 

Most who develop orange skin from their diet don't intend to, and it mostly affects children and young adults.

“Diet-associated carotenemia is technically a sign of beta-carotene toxicity, although it is generally considered a benign condition,” Parker said.  “In adults, it may be mistaken for more serious conditions such as jaundice—yellowing of the skin and eyes due to liver failure.” 

Parker advised that if your skin turns yellow or orange without a significant increase in beta-carotene consumption, you should seek medical advice. It might indicate conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism, or high cholesterol.

Foods Known to Affect Skin Pigmentation

Carrots aren't the only beta-carotene-rich foods. Many fruits and vegetables high in this nutrient aren't orange, Parker noted. Yellow and red fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens also contain beta-carotene, such as:

• Sweet potatoes
• Red bell peppers
• Pumpkin
• Butternut squash
• Cantaloupe
• Mango
• Papaya
• Apricots
• Tomatoes
• Kale
• Spinach
• Broccoli

With its distinctive yellow color, the spice turmeric also contains natural compounds called curcuminoids. If consumed in high quantities, the skin can develop a yellowish cast. But Parker warns that consuming large amounts of turmeric can be dangerous.

“High-dose turmeric consumption is associated with important health risks, including liver toxicity, medication interactions, anemia, white blood cell suppression, and kidney injury,” Parker said. 

What Is the Safest Way to Tan?

Sunbathing to get a tan can cause serious skin damage and increase your risk of developing skin cancer. So, what is the best option if you’re looking to avoid a pale skin tone? 

Whatever you do, avoid the tanning bed, said Parker. “Tanning resulting from exposure to natural or artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation actually represents active damage to the DNA in one’s skin cells, leading to signs of photoaging such as wrinkles and brown spots as well as an increased risk of skin cancer,” she said. 

Instead, Parker recommended sticking with a sunless tanner that contains the ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA).  The Food and Drug Administration has approved DHA for use in sunless tanners. It works by reacting with amino acids on the skin’s surface to darken it temporarily.

That said, having tanned skin is not necessary. “As a dermatologist, I empower my patients to embrace their skin tone’s natural aesthetic and recommend they avoid engaging in any tanning behaviors,” Parker said.