Gen Z Aussie influencers are leading the charge on TikTok’s ‘triangle tan lines’ trend, with Millennial beauty experts worried that an entire generation has missed the skin cancer memo.
Style-ish podcast hosts Maddison Sullivan-Thorpe and Anika Joshi-Smith said they hope sun baking will be ‘out’ as a trend in 2025.
‘There’s a very scary return to tanning culture which is really being led by Gen Z,’ Maddison says in their first episode of the year. ‘Which is really alarming because I think this age group wasn’t privy to the marketing and campaigns that we saw as teenagers.’
Across TikTok and Instagram, influencers are showing off their deep tan lines and encouraging people to download UV index apps to maximise their ‘tanning routines’.
The hashtag #sunburnttanlines has more than 200 million views on TikTok.
Almost half of Gen Z Australians said they deliberately use less or no sunscreen when ‘working on their tans’ in a 2023 study by La Roche Posay.
Style-ish podcast hosts Maddison Sullivan-Thorpe and Anika Joshi-Smith said they hope sun baking will be ‘out’ as an influencer trend in 2025
Across TikTok and Instagram, influencers are showing off their deep tan lines and encouraging people to download UV index apps to maximise their ‘tanning routines’
The hashtag #sunburnttanlines has more than 200 million views on TikTok
Triangle tan lines, made by the shape of a halter neck bikini top, are being hailed by thousands of social media users, who are mostly young women, as ‘the ultimate summery accessory’.
In one video, a user says: ‘Sometimes, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to get the tan’.
One popular TikTok sound being used in the videos is the narration of: ‘Burn it. Did I say stand there and look stupid? No, I said burn it.’
‘Half of Gen Z deliberately sit in the sun to work on their tans and 37 per cent of them knowingly use less or no sunscreen when doing so – which is really concerning,’ Maddison said.
The fashion and beauty podcaster thinks part of the issue is that Gen Z Aussies aren’t as easily reached by mass media safety messaging.
Popular videos also encourage or show users to tan during high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV), including clips titled, ‘come and UV tan with me’.
They promote the UV index, a measurement of the amount of UV reaching Earth and its potential to damage the body, as a tanning tool.
Some users say tanning at levels between 7 and 11 (high and extreme) provides the best results. Anything above a level 3 means sun protection is required.
Popular videos also encourage or show users to tan during high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV), including clips titled, ‘come and UV tan with me’
‘The triangle bikini tan lines trending at the moment are sending me,’ Anika added.
‘It’s become a status symbol of going on holiday or being out and about.
‘But if cancer isn’t enough to scare you, if you’re a little bit vain, remember sunscreen is the number one prevention of ageing. It is the best way to remain looking youthful!
Stylish co-host Joanna Fleming said that unlike Millennials, Gen Z are ‘watching girls who have really harsh sunburn and going “I really like that influencer on TikTok”, or “I resonate with that girl, and if she’s doing it, I’ll do it too”.’
While it’s easy to point the finger and blame young influencers for this trend, Maddison says she thinks Aussie brands should be the ones to draw the line.
‘Something I have a real issue with is there are a lot of brands, specifically in the skincare space, that are still approving paid content with these influencers who are visibly burnt and have tan lines.
‘We should not be approving that content.’
‘I’ve seen a very very big skincare and beauty brand approving content and I’ve seen the ads go out with an influencer who is visibly burnt.’
Style-ish podcast co-host Joanna Flemming says Gen Z are getting their beauty advice from TikTok and haven’t been exposed to the kind of TV ads about melanoma older generations saw
‘These brands need to do better because we can’t control what these people post on their socials,’ she continued.
‘But when it comes to paid content, they should not be sunburnt. It’s like smoking. Not glamourising cigarettes is in the brief. Why can’t not being sunburnt be in the brief as well?’
Influencer Laura Henshaw also took to the app in December to remind her younger peers that ‘there is no such thing as a healthy tan.’
Two thousand Australians die every year from skin cancer, the Kic co-founder said.
‘Just five blistering burns before the age of 20 can increase your risk of skin cancer by 80 per cent,’ Laura said.
‘Is a three to four week tan line really worth risking your life?’
‘I don’t think this would be a trend if people knew what they were actually risking in getting this tan line aesthetic.’
