Ireland is actively considering outlawing sunbeds — artificial tanning beds that use ultraviolet (UV) light — amid growing concerns about their serious health risks, including skin cancer, and calls from health experts and government advisers for a complete ban.
At present, commercial sunbeds are legal for adults in Ireland, but subject to strict regulations. The Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014 already bans their use by anyone under 18, requires operators to register with the Health Service Executive (HSE), mandates protective eyewear and warning signs, and prohibits unsupervised use. Despite these measures, sunbeds continue to be used — and still pose significant health dangers.
In 2025, the Irish Government launched a public consultation on whether to introduce a full ban on commercial sunbed use. The move follows a report by the Institute of Public Health (IPH) recommending outlawing sunbeds to reduce skin cancer rates, pointing out that despite existing laws, both adults and children are still using these devices.
Minister for Public Health, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, announced the consultation and said Ireland must act decisively: she stated that there is “no safe level of sunbed use” and emphasised the need to protect especially younger people from a known carcinogen. The Department of Health established a cross-departmental working group to explore legal, public health and policy issues in detail, including how an outright ban could be implemented and lessons Ireland might draw from other countries’ experiences.
Globally, artificial tanning devices are widely recognised as dangerous. The World Health Organization classifies sunbeds as carcinogenic to humans, placing them in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Even occasional sunbed use increases the risk of developing skin cancer, including the deadliest form, melanoma — especially if use begins at a young age.
The HSE’s latest guidance makes this stark: sunbed use is never safe. UV radiation from these machines can damage DNA in skin cells and increase not only cancer risk but also cause premature skin ageing, wrinkles and eye damage such as cataracts. Research shows that people who use sunbeds before age 35 can increase their risk of melanoma by about 75%.
Skin cancer is already Ireland’s most common cancer, with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed each year and rates continuing to rise despite ongoing awareness campaigns.
Despite mounting evidence and political support — including from the Taoiseach, who previously described a sunbed ban as a “no-brainer” — not everyone agrees. The Sunbed Association, representing regulated businesses, has argued that banning commercial sunbeds could push users into unsafe and unregulated environments, and that enforcing existing rules would be more effective than an outright prohibition.
For now, the ban is not yet law. The consultation process and working group’s review are ongoing, and final recommendations to Government are expected later in 2026. But with strong scientific evidence about the risks — and a legal framework already in place restricting their use among young people — Ireland may be on the path to becoming one of the first European countries to outlaw sunbeds entirely.
Public health experts warn that sunbeds are not a safe way to tan and that using them even once can increase skin cancer risk.
