Short answer: in many modern studies, lightly tanned or warmly colored skin is often rated as more attractive than the exact same skin when it appears paler, including when people rate photos of the same person before and after an artificial tan.1,2 That pattern shows up for men as well as women, especially in Western samples where having at least some color is tied to ideas of health, vitality, and an outdoorsy lifestyle.3,4 At the same time, attractiveness is always subjective and cultural, and there is a big difference between a subtle golden tone and an extreme or obviously artificial tan.
So if you are asking, "are tanned guys more attractive?", the evidence points to yes, in many contexts. On average, people tend to rate lightly tanned or warm toned male skin as healthier, more athletic, and more attractive than the exact same skin when it is very pale, particularly in photo based experiments and surveys of young adults.1,2,5-8 But that does not mean every person prefers a tan, nor that you need to chase a very dark color. The research suggests that a moderate, natural looking tan or glow is where most of the perceived attractiveness benefit happens.
What the research actually says about tans and attractiveness
One of the simplest tests of this question comes from work in dermatology where researchers took photos of people, digitally tanned them, and then asked thousands of strangers to rate the images online. In one study, forty five women were photographed, their images were rated for attractiveness on a public website, then the same images were digitally edited to give them a tan and re uploaded for new ratings. On average, the tanned versions received slightly but significantly higher attractiveness scores than the untanned originals, leading the authors to conclude that the people using the site did in fact consider tanned complexions more attractive overall.1
Other work has looked at beliefs and motives around tanning. Reviews of survey data and experimental studies report that large majorities of adolescents and adults in Western samples say tan skin looks better than untanned skin and that they feel more attractive and more confident when they are tan.2 In a large observational study of British young adults, liking to tan and actually tanning outdoors were strongly linked to appearance reasons such as wanting to look better in photos and more attractive to others.3 Australian research that examined ideal skin tone found that both young men and women internalised a tanned ideal to some degree and that this ideal influenced their tanning behaviours, with a tanned look being framed explicitly as part of looking good.4
It is also important to recognise that culture and background matter. In some contexts, particularly among groups with darker baseline pigmentation, lighter skin can be seen as higher status or more desirable, and commercial skin lightening is common. In many white Western samples, however, a light to medium tan and more golden skin tone is currently associated with looking healthy, active, and confident. The common thread is not that there is a single perfect tone, but that skin colour acts as a social signal, and a lot of people respond positively to signs that look like health and vitality.
Why a bit of colour tends to read as more attractive
From a biology and psychology perspective, skin colour gives other people information about circulation, lifestyle, and diet. Experiments that manipulate the colour of facial images have shown that small increases in skin redness from better blood flow and small increases in yellow and golden tones from carotenoid pigments make faces look healthier and more attractive to observers.5 When participants are asked to adjust facial skin colour to make someone look as healthy or as good looking as possible, they tend to increase those warm golden tones more than they deepen overall brownness, which suggests that subtle colour shifts matter more than simply getting darker.5,8
Carotenoids are plant derived pigments that deposit in the skin when you eat foods like carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens. Several controlled studies have shown that increasing carotenoid intake can measurably change skin tone over weeks and that this carotenoid driven colour makes faces, including male faces, look more attractive and more healthy to observers.6,7 In one trial, supplementing healthy adults with beta carotene shifted their facial colour in a way that independent raters judged as more attractive and more healthy looking, even though objective health markers did not change.6 Another cross cultural study found that people in different countries preferred faces and bodies with higher carotenoid based colour over less coloured versions of the same individuals.7
Together, these findings help explain why tanned guys often look more attractive to others. A reasonable tan or warm glow can suggest that you spend time outdoors, are active, and eat reasonably well. It can also make muscle definition stand out more by increasing the contrast between skin and shadow. The key nuance is that the most attractive colour changes in these experiments are modest and natural looking. Very dark or uneven tans, especially those that look clearly damaged or artificial, generally do not get the same positive response.
The problem with chasing a tan the old way
Knowing that a bit of colour helps does not mean you should simply try to get as dark as possible in the sun or in a tanning bed. Ultraviolet radiation is a complete non negotiable in skin cancer epidemiology. Large systematic reviews of indoor tanning consistently find higher risks of melanoma and other skin cancers in people who use tanning devices, with stronger associations in those who start younger and tan more frequently.9,10 Those risks exist for men and women and add on top of any risk from natural sun exposure.
Outdoor UV exposure has the same fundamental problem. The biological process that produces a UV tan is triggered by DNA damage and oxidative stress in your skin cells. A tan offers only limited extra protection against further UV damage, and it arrives after the damage that triggered it has already happened. Men in particular often spend long periods outdoors for work or sport, use less sunscreen, and get more severe burns, which all add up to visible ageing and higher lifetime risk.
So while the data support the idea that a tanned or warmly coloured look can be more attractive in many eyes, they do not support the idea that you should earn that look through unprotected UV exposure. The goal becomes getting the visual benefits of a tan in ways that are more controlled, more reversible, and much kinder to your skin in the long run.
Smarter ways for guys to use this science
If you want to lean into the attractiveness boost that a tan or warm glow can give without paying for it in burns and wrinkles, it makes sense to combine three strategies: topical colour, internal support, and sensible UV exposure.
Topical self tanners that use dihydroxyacetone (DHA) can give you a surface tan in a matter of hours without any UV. DHA reacts with amino acids in the outermost layer of your skin to create brown melanoidin pigments that sit on top of your living skin and fade as that layer sheds. With a good formula and decent technique, you can get an even, believable tan on your body and face while keeping your actual UV exposure modest. For guys, lighter, fast absorbing formats like mousses, waters, or drops mixed with moisturiser tend to play well with body hair and beards.
On the internal side, a diet rich in colourful fruits and vegetables and targeted carotenoid rich formulations can support the warm golden tones that studies link with more attractive skin in both men and women.6-8 Reviews of carotenoids and skin health report that compounds like beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, and astaxanthin accumulate in the epidermis, contribute to colour, and provide modest photoprotective and anti ageing benefits when consumed regularly over time.9 This is where drinkable routines such as KINGS come in.
Where KINGS fits into the picture
KINGS is designed as a daily drinkable tanning ritual, not a quick fix or a replacement for sunscreen. You add the drops to a glass or bottle of water, drink it as part of your normal routine, and the active ingredients are absorbed through your gut into your bloodstream. Over time, those actives are carried to your skin, where they can contribute to a warmer, more even tone from the inside out. The concept aligns with the same body of research showing that ingestible pigments and antioxidants can influence skin colour and support a healthier looking surface when used consistently.6-9
Because KINGS works from within, it does not care whether you have facial hair, chest hair, or a completely smooth torso. There is no risk of missed patches, stained collars, or obvious tide lines around your jaw. Instead, you gradually shift your baseline tone so that you look a little more bronzed and defined all the time, before you apply any topical colour or spend extra time in the sun. That makes it especially appealing if you like the idea of a tanned look but prefer a low effort, minimal product approach.
It is important to be clear that KINGS has not been tested as a medical treatment and does not replace sunscreen, protective clothing, or shade. Think of it as part of your aesthetic strategy: a way to get closer to the kind of warm, healthy looking skin tone that many people find attractive, without chasing extreme UV or overly heavy surface colour.
So, are tanned guys more attractive?
Putting all of this together, the honest answer is that a lot of people do find tanned or warmly coloured guys more attractive, as long as the effect is subtle, even, and consistent with the person's natural features. Experimental work with digitally tanned photos, cross cultural studies of carotenoid colour, and large surveys of tanning attitudes all point in the same direction: for many observers, a bit of extra colour reads as healthier, more confident, and more appealing.1-4,6-8
That does not mean you have to be tan to be attractive, or that everyone will share the same preferences. Your overall grooming, body language, personality, and how you carry yourself all matter more than a single variable like skin tone. What the science does suggest is that if you personally like how you look with a tan, you are not imagining it when you feel that others respond a little differently.
The smart move is to get that effect in ways that respect your skin. Build a routine that supports a warm, even tone from within with nutrition and a daily KINGS ritual, use topical self tanner when you want a faster visible boost, and keep your UV exposure moderate and protected. That way you can enjoy the upside of being a little more bronzed and defined, while keeping the long term health and resilience of your skin firmly on your side.