Out-of-law tanning booths?
Grilled! 271 tanning booth providers were called to order after a battery of checks. The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) inspected 1066 establishments, but none had to go out of business. These results are published in the latest issue of Competition and consumption, the review of the DGCCRF.
European legislation provides for a technical inspection of tanning equipment every two years. For example, the proportion of UV emitted by tanning lamps must be identical to that produced by the sun in June, to avoid any abuse.
But according to the magazineCompetition and consumptionthe accredited bodies would take so long to intervene for the checks that most tanning centers would be out of the norm.
Overall, the balance sheet of the DGCCRF is rather hot: according to the shortcomings observed, the DGCCRF noted "76 notifications of regulatory information, 97 regulatory reminders, 47 minutes and 60 administrative measures".
The majority of providers seem to have complied with the ban on touting a UV session for anything other than tanning. However, a center caught the attention of the controllers: an advertisement of a beauty institute in Midi-Pyrenees guarantees for example: "If you have acne, psoriasis, UV radiation can have a positive effect" . This failure did not result in the closure of the building but it had to remove this ad.
Another mistake noticed: many professionals sell tanning accelerators while stating prohibiting their customers to use them in cabin. Last but not least, some tanning devices go beyond "the strict framework of the aesthetic act". This means that some centers tout the merits of infrared devices to melt cellulite, or pulsed light devices for lasting hair removal. However, these machines can cause depigmentation if they are misused.
