Are tanning pills safe to use?

Not entirely. Canthaxanthin, the active ingredient in most tanning pills, is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While most patients do not have significant side effects, some patients have developed nausea, diarrhea, pruritus, skin eruptions, night blindness, and drug-induced hepatitis. There has been one reported death due to aplastic anemia in a woman who took tanning pills.