The risks associated with sun tanning don’t end with health concerns. For advertisers, there’s another layer to consider: the risk of breaching the advertising rules if your campaign promotes unsafe or harmful sun-related behaviour. With summer campaigns leaning into sunny, outdoor imagery, it’s important to understand where the line is drawn.
Australia has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and the health risks of excessive sun exposure and deliberate tanning are widely recognised by the community. While complaints about sun tanning or sun exposure remain relatively low overall, Ad Standards has seen a recent rise in complaints about this issue – showing that Australians are alert to how sun safety is portrayed in advertising.
What can, and can’t, be shown in ads?
Ads that raise concerns around unsafe sun exposure are assessed under the health and safety provision of the Code of Ethics, which requires that advertising must not depict content that would encourage or condone behaviour that is unsafe, unhealthy, or contrary to prevailing community standards.
This doesn’t mean that advertisers need to avoid showing people outdoors. Being outside is a normal part of Australian life, and most depictions of outdoor activity won’t raise issues. However, problems may arise if an ad:
- portrays sun tanning as glamorous or desirable
- shows prolonged or deliberate sun exposure without protection
- suggests that sun-safety measures – like sunscreen, shade, or protective clothing – are unnecessary or uncool.
These types of portrayals are unlikely to meet community expectations and may be found in breach of the rules.
Case examples
Nine ads have been assessed by the Community Panel for potentially raising issues around unsafe sun behaviour in the past 12 months, with three ads found in breach.
Breach: Jerky Co.
This TV ad for a food product showed a man tanning by a pool with no sun protection, proudly displaying a bright red sunburn and tan lines. An accompanying voiceover stated, “That’s Aussie”.
The Community Panel considered that the ad portrayed deliberate and prolonged sun exposure as a typical and acceptable “Aussie” behaviour. By presenting sunburn as humorous and culturally acceptable, the ad crossed the line into promoting unsafe behaviour and was found in breach of the Code.
Breach: Coastal GRL
This Instagram ad for a hair product showed a woman sunbaking while discussing the product’s benefits.
While the Community Panel acknowledged that the advertiser only intended to demonstrate how the product works at the beach, they found the references to sunbaking, particularly the line, “so, I’ve been sunbaking for like two hours now”, did encourage unsafe sun exposure.
Breach: Glowbed
This Facebook ad for an inflatable floating bed featured scenes of a woman lying on the bed in the sun, with the post’s caption including ‘Take this as your sign to get a tanning pool this summer’, and ‘2-1 Tanning Pool & Floatie’.
The Community Panel found the strong emphasis on using the product specifically for tanning, along with the visuals, did encourage and glorify tanning in a way that’s against community concerns around sun safety.
Cases not in breach
In the remaining cases, the Community Panel acknowledged the concerns raised by complainants, but determined that simply depicting people outdoors, or showing after-effects of sun exposure, does not on its own promote unsafe sun behaviour. They also found that these ads didn’t glamorise tanning or suggest that sun protection is unnecessary or undesirable.
These decisions highlight the importance of context. Showing people enjoying the outdoors is fine. Presenting sunburn, tanning, or other unsafe behaviour as aspirational, is not.
You can read the full decisions in each case report:
Breach:
No breach:
See all Community Panel decisions here.
Learn more about the rules around health and safety in ads here.