Half of Danes aged 15 to 25 now consider using sunbeds fashionable, twice the share recorded a decade ago, according to new figures from the Danish Cancer Society (Kræftens Bekæmpelse).
The proportion has risen from 24% in 2015 to 50% in 2026, TV 2 Kosmopol reports, pointing to a significant shift in how young people perceive tanning.
The trend does not mean sunbed use has returned to its previous highs. A new Danish Cancer Society survey found that around 14% of people aged 15 to 25 had used a sunbed at least once in the previous year. That compares with 40% in 2008, although use has risen slightly from 10% in 2019.
Sunbeds are particularly popular among teenagers
The figures show that use is especially common among the youngest respondents. Around one in five 15 to 17-year-olds had used a sunbed during the previous year, while 72% of current users aged 15 to 25 said they first used one before turning 18.
Mette Lolk Hanak, Prevention Director at the Danish Cancer Society, said the growing perception of sunbeds as fashionable was a reason to strengthen prevention.
“When every second young person sees going to a sunbed as fashionable, it is a clear sign that we should do even more to prevent sunbed use. Trends are difficult to change, but we can counter them by continuing to inform people about the risks and by tightening legislation in this area.”
The shift fits into a broader pattern identified by the organisation. Earlier in 2026, Danish Cancer Society research found that many young people were using UV-index information not to avoid strong sunlight but to plan when to tan. Among young people who checked the UV index, 54% said they used it to identify periods when the sun was strongest.
Denmark still has no age limit for sunbeds
Both the Danish Health Authority and the Danish Cancer Society advise against using sunbeds. Artificial UV radiation increases the risk of skin cancer, with the risk becoming greater the younger a person is when exposure begins. The Danish Cancer Society says sunbed use is associated with around a 20% higher risk of melanoma, rising to about 60% for people who begin using them before the age of 35.
Denmark currently has no minimum age for using sunbeds, unlike the other Nordic countries.
An 18-year age limit is included in the government’s Cancer Plan V (Kræftplan V). A bill presented in February 2026 would have introduced the limit and required tanning salons to operate age-verification systems, but the proposal subsequently lapsed before becoming law.
The latest figures therefore arrive while Denmark is still considering how to turn its planned age restriction into legislation, and as health organisations warn that tanning appears to be regaining cultural appeal among teenagers and young adults.
