Consultation on Commercial Sunbeds: Strengthening Enforcement, Supporting Responsibility
The debate about sunbeds often generates more heat than light. As ministers consider a raft of new restrictions, The Sunbed Association (TSA) believes that the focus should be on interventions that actually improve safety on the ground.
The Government's consultation on strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England marks an important moment for the sector.
Often, any discussion of commercial sunbeds quickly escalates into a debate about whether they should exist at all. Yet that is not the question currently being asked by ministers and officials. Instead, the consultation focuses on a more practical challenge: how to ensure existing rules are properly enforced and, in particular, how to prevent under-18s from accessing commercial sunbeds.
That is an objective that responsible operators fully support.
The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 already prohibits under-18s from using commercial sunbeds. However, some recent investigations have suggested that a handful of businesses continue to ignore those rules. If true, that is wholly unacceptable. It puts young people at risk, undermines confidence in the sector, and damages the reputation of the thousands of small businesses that work hard to comply with the law and keep their customers safe every day.
"No responsible business wants to see underage use, Gary Lipman, Chairman of The Sunbed Association, told us. “The law is clear, and the overwhelming majority of professional operators follow it. Those who do not are damaging the reputation of the wider sector."
That is why The Sunbed Association (TSA), the body that represents the UK’s professional indoor tanning industry, believes that this consultation is an opportunity to focus attention on areas where its own members already know safety is being compromised.
TSA has long argued that there is no place in the industry for rogue operators. Professional salons already operate within TSA’s framework of regulation that includes age restrictions, customer screening, supervision requirements, staff training, equipment standards, and strict technical limits on UV output. Responsible businesses have invested heavily in compliance. They have every interest in ensuring that those who cut corners do not gain a commercial advantage.
The proposed introduction of mandatory age verification and tighter requirements around supervision are therefore measures that many operators will recognise as reflecting good practice that is already common across the professional sector.
However, industry voices argue that what matters now is ensuring that any new requirements are proportionate, practical, and enforceable.
“Too often, policy debates become distracted by headlines rather than focusing on what will actually improve compliance on the ground,” Lipman says. “The reality is that legislation does not enforce itself. Rules only work when they are understood, monitored, and consistently applied.”
That is why the consultation should focus not only on what additional requirements may be needed, but also on how local enforcement can be made more consistent. A robust regulatory framework is only as effective as the mechanisms used to uphold it.
"The answer is not simply creating more rules," Lipman adds. "The answer is making sure the rules we already have are respected and enforced. Responsible operators have nothing to fear from that. In fact, they benefit from it."
The Government has also recognised another important point. Alongside public health considerations, there is a need to understand the practical implications for businesses.
This matters enormously because the tanning sector is made up of thousands of predominantly small, women-owned businesses operating on high streets across England. These businesses employ local people, occupy retail units, contribute to local economies, and serve millions of adult customers each year.
Indeed, independent polling commissioned by TSA found that around six million adults in the UK regularly use sunbeds. Whatever view one takes on the wider policy debate, this is clearly not a niche activity. Any regulation changes must therefore be based on evidence, be workable in practice, and recognise the distinction between responsible operators and those acting outside the law.
There is a tendency in some discussions to treat the sector as a single entity. In reality, there is a significant difference between a professional salon operating within established standards and a business that ignores legal requirements. Conflating the two risks creating policies that punish compliance rather than encourage it.
The consultation's accompanying call for evidence presents an opportunity to move beyond assumptions and examine how the sector actually operates. Professional operators have practical experience in age verification, customer supervision, skin type assessments, staff training, and compliance procedures. That expertise must now be part of the conversation.
"We welcome the opportunity to engage constructively with Government," says Lipman. "The businesses operating on the ground every day have valuable insights into what works, what doesn't, and where improvements can be made. Good policy is always stronger when it is informed by real-world experience."
The Government has stated that it wants any future measures to be proportionate, enforceable, and capable of delivering meaningful improvements to public safety. That is a sensible objective.
For the professional sector, the objective is clear. Protect young people, support effective enforcement, and drive rogue operators out of the market. To achieve that aim requires practical and evidence-based regulation and a recognition that responsible businesses are not the problem - they are an essential part of the solution.
As the consultation progresses, policymakers have an opportunity to strengthen public confidence while supporting the businesses that are already doing the right thing. That is a goal that everyone can support.
