Over half of British men have used fake tan

Image: Marks & Spencer

Over half of British men have used fake tan, according to a survey by money-saving website VoucherCodesPro.co.uk. Men living in the North East are the top tanners, followed by those in London and Wales. The survey also found that of men who self-tan, the average spends £338 per year on fake tanning products.

The study polled a total of 2,326 men aged 18 and over from an equal split of the various regions as part of ongoing research into financial expenditure in different areas of the UK.

They were first asked "Have you ever fake tanned yourself?" to which 52% of respondents revealed that they had done, while the remaining 48% said they’d never used fake tan.

When asked why they used tanning products, almost two thirds of respondents said that they did so because it gives them more confidence, while nearly three fifths said that a fake tan “attracted more women”.

The West Midlands, Scotland and Yorkshire and West Humberside have the lowest numbers of men who fake tan, with 4%, 3% and 2% respectively.

The respondents also said that having a tan gave them more confidence, helped them look better on holiday and was a safer alternative to exposing their skin to UV rays. However, almost half of the men who said they had tanned (49%) revealed that they keep their tanning habits a secret from friends and family.

Nick Swan, chief executive of VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, commented: "I think the popularity of reality shows such as Geordie Shore have affected how many men are willing to fake tan, which may explain our survey findings surrounding men in the North East admitting that they fake tan the most.”