Olive Oil for Tanning: Why It Offers No Real Sun Protection
Olive oil for tanning is an old summer tip: rub a little on, lie out, and you will tan faster. We make and sell olive oil, and our answer is plain. Olive oil is not a sunscreen. It contains no tested UV filter, it gives no meaningful protection against the UVA and UVB rays that burn skin and cause skin cancer, and oiling your skin in order to tan simply means spending longer in strong sun with next to nothing between you and the damage. The "olive oil has SPF 8" figure that circulates online comes from a laboratory test on diluted oil in a spectrophotometer — not from anything you can rely on at the beach. This guide sets out what the evidence shows, what the NHS, HSE, Cancer Research UK, the American Academy of Dermatology and the WHO advise instead, and where olive oil belongs in summer.
For our own oil — made for the kitchen, not for sunbathing — see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml).
The Short Answer
- Olive oil is not a sunscreen. No olive oil is tested or sold as a sun protection product, and it carries no SPF or UVA rating.
- The "olive oil SPF 8" figure comes from a 2010 laboratory study (Kaur, Saraf and Saraf, Pharmacognosy Research) that measured UVB absorbance of diluted oil in a spectrophotometer — not protection on human skin, and not UVA at all.
- The NHS says there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan, and Cancer Research UK says there is no such thing as safe UV tanning. The HSE describes a tan as a sign that your skin has been damaged by UV.
- Oiling up to tan raises your burn risk, because the whole point is to stay out in strong sun with virtually no protection.
- The HSE advises against using oil-based products on sunburnt skin. Cool the skin, use an aftersun or unperfumed moisturiser, and get medical advice if you blister or feel unwell.
- What protects skin is shade, clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with 4 or more UVA stars, applied generously and reapplied.
- Sidr & Stone makes extra virgin olive oil for eating. We do not recommend using our oil, or any olive oil, for tanning or as sun protection.
Does Olive Oil Help You Tan? What Actually Happens on Your Skin
A tan is your skin's response to ultraviolet damage. When UV reaches skin cells, they produce more melanin, the pigment that darkens skin — and that response happens because DNA in those cells has already been harmed. The HSE puts it bluntly: a tan is a sign that your skin is damaged by UV radiation from the sun or a sunbed, and even when the tan fades, the damage does not go away.
Olive oil does not create a tan. It sits on the surface, makes skin look glossy and darker for a while, and keeps it feeling supple in the heat. Some olive oil sellers go further and claim that oil "attracts" UV rays or speeds up tanning; we found no published evidence that it does either. What oiling up reliably changes is behaviour: people who oil their skin to tan are, by definition, choosing to lie in strong sun for longer with no real protection.
That is the problem in one sentence: olive oil for tanning replaces a tested sunscreen with something that offers almost nothing.
The "Olive Oil SPF" Figure: Where It Comes From and Why It Misleads
Search for olive oil SPF and you will find figures from about 2 up to 8. They trace back mainly to one study. Kaur, Saraf and Saraf, writing in Pharmacognosy Research in 2010, made hydroalcoholic dilutions of a range of plant oils and measured how much ultraviolet light they absorbed between 290 and 320 nm, using the spectrophotometric calculation method developed by Mansur and colleagues [1]. Among the fixed oils, olive oil and coconut oil came out highest, at an in vitro SPF of around 8; the fixed oils overall ranged between about 2 and 8.
That is a genuine finding, but it answers a laboratory question, not a beach one. The authors themselves describe in vitro SPF as a screening test during product development — a supplement to testing on people, not a replacement for it. Here is what the number does and does not tell you:
| Question | The "olive oil SPF 8" lab figure | A sunscreen the NHS recommends |
|---|---|---|
| How was protection measured? | UV absorbance of diluted oil in a spectrophotometer | Tested as a finished product under standardised conditions |
| UVB (burning rays) | Calculated from 290–320 nm absorbance only | SPF of at least 30 |
| UVA (ageing and deeper damage) | Not measured | 4-star UVA rating or more, or the UVA circle logo |
| Tested on human skin? | No | Yes |
| Reliable when sweating or swimming? | No evidence | Water-resistant versions available; reapply after water |
Even if you took the lab figure at face value, it would sit well below the SPF 30 minimum that the NHS, the HSE and Cancer Research UK all advise, and it says nothing about UVA. The honest reading is that olive oil absorbs a little UVB in a test tube — which is not the same thing as protecting your skin.
Why Oiling Up to Tan Raises Your Burn Risk
Every major sun-safety body says the same thing about tanning. The NHS states that there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan and that a tan does not protect your skin from the sun's harmful effects. Cancer Research UK says there is no such thing as safe UV tanning. The World Health Organization advises that sunscreens should not be used to extend the time you spend in the sun — and olive oil is not even a sunscreen.
Put those together and the risk of olive oil for tanning becomes clear. Someone who oils up to tan is usually aiming to stay out in the strongest sun of the day, skipping or thinning out their sunscreen, and lying still with large areas of skin exposed. The NHS warns that sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer, and the American Academy of Dermatology notes that sunburn can cause long-lasting damage that raises that risk. The stakes are not small: the WHO reports that over 1.5 million skin cancers were diagnosed worldwide in 2020, with more than 120,000 skin cancer deaths, and Cancer Research UK estimates that up to 9 in 10 melanoma cases in the UK could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds.
A fair objection is that a little oil on a short walk will not do much harm. That is probably true — but a short walk is not what olive oil for tanning means. The tip exists to help people stay out longer and darken faster, and that is exactly the pattern the guidance warns against.
If you want a tanned look, Cancer Research UK points to fake tan or spray tan as the safer route — with the important caveat that a fake tan does not protect you from UV either.
Olive Oil for Sunburn and After Sun: What the Guidance Says
The second half of the folk advice is that olive oil soothes sunburn or makes a good after-sun. Official guidance points the other way. The HSE's sunburn advice says not to use petroleum jelly or oil-based products on sunburnt skin, and the NHS likewise advises against petroleum jelly. What both recommend is simple:
- Get out of the sun as soon as possible.
- Cool the skin with a cool shower, bath or damp towel — taking care that babies and young children do not get too cold.
- Apply an aftersun cream or spray, or an unperfumed moisturiser; the American Academy of Dermatology suggests a moisturiser containing aloe vera or soy.
- Drink plenty of water, and take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if needed, following the leaflet.
- Do not pop blisters, and keep sunburnt skin out of the sun until it has fully healed.
The NHS advises asking for an urgent GP appointment or contacting NHS 111 if your skin is blistered or swollen, you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, you feel very tired, dizzy or sick, you have a headache or muscle cramps, or a baby or young child is sunburnt. In Ireland, the HSE gives the same signs as reasons to contact a GP.
You may also see a 2000 study cited as proof that olive oil works after sun. Budiyanto and colleagues, in Carcinogenesis, painted extra virgin olive oil onto hairless mice before or after repeated UVB exposure [2]. Mice treated after exposure developed fewer skin tumours than untreated mice (an average of 2.64 against 7.33 per mouse in the first experiment), while oil applied before exposure gave no lasting benefit. It is an interesting laboratory finding in mice, not evidence for people, and it does not override the HSE's advice to keep oil-based products off sunburnt skin.
What Actually Protects Your Skin in the Sun
The reliable answer to sun protection is not an oil but a set of habits. Ireland's SunSmart "5S" rule (slip, slop, slap, seek, slide), promoted by the HSE, and the NHS sun safety guidance line up closely:
- Seek shade when the sun is strongest — in the UK, between 11am and 3pm from March to October — and check the UV index: at 3 or above, protect your skin.
- Slip on clothing that covers your skin, such as a long-sleeved top in a close-weave fabric.
- Slap on a wide-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears.
- Slide on sunglasses with UV protection; wraparound styles are best.
- Slop on sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with 4 or more UVA stars, broad-spectrum — the HSE advises SPF 50 for children.
- Use enough and reapply. The NHS suggests around 6 to 8 teaspoons to cover an adult's whole body, reapplied every 2 hours and straight after swimming, towel drying or sweating.
- Never burn, and keep babies under 6 months out of direct strong sunlight.
The WHO adds that sun protection is best achieved by seeking shade and wearing clothes rather than relying on sunscreen alone. None of these steps is improved by adding an oil.
When to Get Your Skin Checked
Because tanning and sunburn both reflect UV damage, it is worth knowing the signs that need a doctor. The NHS advises reporting a new mole, growth or lump, or any mole, freckle or patch of skin that changes in size, shape or colour, to your GP as soon as possible — skin cancer is much easier to treat when it is found early. Take extra care if you have pale or freckled skin, red or fair hair, many moles, a tendency to burn rather than tan, or a family history of skin cancer. People with brown or black skin are less likely to get skin cancer, but the NHS notes that people of all skin tones can get it, so avoiding sunburn still matters.
Where Olive Oil Belongs in Summer
None of this makes olive oil a bad thing to have on hand in summer. It is simply in the wrong place on a sun lounger. Its natural home is the kitchen: dressing a tomato salad, finishing grilled vegetables, or dipping bread at a table in the shade.
Olive oil on skin is a separate question with its own evidence, including research showing it can weaken the skin barrier in some people. We cover that in our guides to olive oil for skin and olive oil for dry skin. If what draws you to olive oil is its antioxidant compounds, our explainer on olive oil polyphenols sets out what the research on eating it actually covers — and it is research on diet, not on sun protection.
For a fuller walkthrough of what separates a well-made bottle from a tired one, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil.
Why Sidr & Stone
We would rather tell you not to use our product for something than sell it on a claim it cannot support. Sidr & Stone's olive oil is a food, made for eating, and nothing about how it is produced makes it suitable for tanning or sun protection. What we can stand behind is how it is made:
- Single-estate: Sidr & Stone's olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco, and we control every step from tree to bottle, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed: our trees are not irrigated; they take what the season gives.
- Organically grown: no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used on Sidr & Stone's farm (not yet certified organic; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest: a small, limited single-harvest batch, picked when the fruit is ready; the current batch's harvest details are on the product page.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest: mechanical extraction only, to preserve flavour, aroma and polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin: minimally processed, so a little natural sediment in the bottle is normal.
- 100% natural: a single ingredient — olive oil — with nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label: a 500ml bottle that protects the oil from light.
- 10% of profits to charity, as with every Sidr & Stone product.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the kind of unsupported claim this article warns against. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that it belongs on your plate, not on your skin in the midday sun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is olive oil good for tanning?
No. Olive oil does not create a tan and gives no meaningful sun protection, so using it to tan means more time in strong sun with almost nothing protecting your skin. The NHS says there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan.
Does olive oil have SPF?
Not in any sense you can rely on. A 2010 laboratory study estimated an in vitro SPF of around 8 for diluted olive oil, but it measured UVB absorbance in a spectrophotometer, not protection on skin, and did not measure UVA. Olive oil has no tested SPF or UVA rating.
Can you tan with olive oil and sunscreen together?
Adding oil does not improve a sunscreen, and the aim of tanning works against the guidance. The WHO advises that sunscreen should not be used to extend your time in the sun; use it alongside shade, clothing and a hat.
Is olive oil good for sunburn?
The HSE advises against oil-based products on sunburnt skin. Cool the skin, use an aftersun or unperfumed moisturiser, drink water, and seek medical advice if your skin blisters or swells or you feel unwell.
Is Sidr & Stone olive oil suitable as a tanning oil or sunscreen?
No. Our olive oil is a food, sold for eating, and we do not recommend it, or any olive oil, for tanning or sun protection. For the sun, use a tested sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with 4 or more UVA stars.
Is fake tan a safer way to look tanned?
Cancer Research UK says fake or spray tan is a safer way to look tanned than sunbathing or sunbeds. But a fake tan does not protect you from UV, so you still need shade, clothing and sunscreen.
Where can I buy a good extra virgin olive oil for cooking?
Look for a single-origin, cold-pressed extra virgin oil in dark glass with a clear harvest or best-before date. Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) is available to pre-order, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Olive oil for tanning is an old habit built on a misunderstanding. A tan is a sign of UV damage, olive oil offers no real protection against it, and the "olive oil SPF" figures online come from a diluted sample in a laboratory, not from skin in the sun. Oiling up to tan simply makes it easier to stay out too long and burn.
The guidance from the NHS, the HSE, Cancer Research UK, the American Academy of Dermatology and the WHO is consistent: seek shade, cover up, wear a hat and sunglasses, use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with good UVA protection, never burn, and get any changing mole checked. If you want the look of a tan, a fake tan is the safer route — with sunscreen on top.
Keep the olive oil for the table. Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) — single-estate, rain-fed and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — is made for your kitchen and is available to pre-order from our limited single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
References
- Kaur CD, Saraf S, Saraf S. In vitro sun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics. Pharmacognosy Res. 2010;2(1):22–25. PMID 21808534. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.60586
- Budiyanto A, Ahmed NU, Wu A, Bito T, Nikaido O, Osawa T, Ueda M, Ichihashi M. Protective effect of topically applied olive oil against photocarcinogenesis following UVB exposure of mice. Carcinogenesis. 2000;21(11):2085–2090. PMID 11062172. doi:10.1093/carcin/21.11.2085
Disclaimer: This article summarises published research and public sun-safety guidance on olive oil, tanning and sun protection at the time of writing; research findings and guidance may change, and readers should check current sources. Sidr & Stone olive oil is sold as a food and is not a sunscreen, tanning product or treatment for sunburn. References to the NHS, the HSE, Cancer Research UK, the American Academy of Dermatology and the World Health Organization describe their published guidance and imply no affiliation or endorsement. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, including sunburn or a changing mole, consult a qualified medical professional.