Even as SPF products now promise better coverage than ever, people are deliberately chasing tans.

Why it matters: That's not only unsafe but also at odds with the culture's anti-aging skin care obsession.

What they're saying: "There's no 'healthy tan,'" dermatologist Nazanin Saedi tells Axios. "A tan is a sign of sun damage," she says.

• "You can use all the retinol you want," says Anthony Rossi, a dermatological surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "No amount of retinol is going to counteract your lack of sunscreen."

Threat level: Too much UV doesn't just age your skin — it can cause cancer, as Rossi knows firsthand.

• A '90s tanning bed user, he tells Axios he developed skin cancer himself. And he's watching a new generation make the same mistake and use tanning beds again.
• "I'm cutting off more and more skin cancers" from patients in their teens, 20s and 30s, he says.

State of play: There's been "a resurgence of tanning culture and sunscreen phobia," largely due to sunscreen misinformation shared on social media, Rossi says.

Case in point: One-third of Gen Z respondents flunked a new American Academy of Dermatology sun safety quiz — even as most rated their own habits "good" or "excellent."

• 64% said they'd encountered sunscreen misinformation online, per AAD.

Meanwhile, a "natural" skin care movement is pushing people to make their own sunscreens with ingredients like beef tallow — or skip applying altogether.

• Reality check: "If you want to be 'natural,'" Saedi says, "let's find you a mineral sunscreen."

Between the lines: The sun does offer real health benefits, but you don't need to skip sunscreen to get them.

• For example, the argument that you have to tan to make vitamin D "is not that kosher," Rossi says. "There have been good studies to show that even if you use sunscreen every day, you don't become vitamin D deficient."

The bottom line: "Sunscreen is safe. We have more options now. And just get into the habit of wearing it every day," Saedi says.

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New invasive melanoma cases rose about 47% over the past decade, per the Skin Cancer Foundation.

By the numbers: For every 100,000 people, 24 new cases of this cancer were reported in the U.S. — up from previous years — according to the most recent data compiled by the CDC and NCI.

The intrigue: Differences in state melanoma rates are driven in large part by population demographics.

• Melanoma is far more common in non-Hispanic White people, who make up about 80% of the population in North Dakota and Minnesota, compared with under 40% in California, American Cancer Society epidemiologist Ahmedin Jemal tells Axios.
• Rural workers are more likely to have outdoor jobs — and more sun exposure, ACS researcher Rebecca Siegel says.

🗳️ A proposed ballot measure that would give Portland residents more say in how the city budget is built has gathered more than 78,000 signatures, far more than the threshold to make the ballot this fall. The signatures still have to be verified. (OPB)

🥤 The owner of Fizz N Sip, the dirty soda shop in North Portland, is working to open a second location in a former Milwaukie pharmacy where John F. Kennedy once ate. Fizz N Sip plans to revive the vintage soda fountain on site, too. (The Oregonian)

📈 Federal immigration officials asked Oregon law enforcement agencies for assistance 329 times over the past year — a 246% jump from the previous year. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Active sunscreen ingredient bemotrizinol — popular in Europe and Asia — was just approved by the FDA for use in the U.S.

• It's the first update of over-the-counter sunscreen products since the late 1990s.

Why it matters: The ingredient has been celebrated by dermatologists because it offers strong ultraviolet A and B protection and is easy to wear.

• "It just feels so nice, smooth and elegant — it doesn't feel as sticky or have such a white cast, like so many of the sunscreens we have available," dermatologist Nazanin Saedi says.

What we're watching: The Dutch brand DSM-Firmenich is expected to begin selling a bemotrizinol product later this year.

A dangerous peptide marketed online as a sunless tanning shortcut is resurfacing.

The big picture: Melanotan II — nicknamed the "Barbie drug" because it can also suppress appetite — mimics a hormone that tells the body to make more melanin.

• It can be found as a nasal spray or shot, but it's not approved by the FDA or any other major regulator.
• Case studies suggest it could lead to the development of skin cancer.

What we're hearing: "People who inject melanotan, their moles start to change," Memorial Sloan Kettering's Rossi says. He's removed atypical moles from a patient who used it.

• "I don't really see a medical benefit of it at all," Rossi says.