About TanCare
TanCare helps you enjoy the sun without burning. This site offers our UV and sun-care tools free; the TanCare app puts live UV, a personal burn timer and safe-window alerts in your pocket.
What we make
The TanCare app is a UV index and tanning planner for iOS and Android: live UV by the hour, a burn-time countdown tuned to your skin, an SPF reapply timer and push alerts when your safe window opens. This website is its free, open companion — calculators and guides anyone can use without signing up.
How the calculators work
Our burn-time maths use the WHO/WMO erythemal UV model, the international standard behind the UV index:
- Erythemal (skin-reddening) UV power = UV index × 0.025 W/m².
- Your skin’s Minimal Erythemal Dose (MED) — the UV energy needed to redden it — rises with your Fitzpatrick skin type.
- Time to burn = MED ÷ erythemal power. SPF multiplies that time.
The MED values we use sit inside the published literature ranges and reproduce the well-known rule of thumb that fair Type II skin reddens in about 17 minutes at UV index 8. They’re a guide, not a guarantee — real skin, sweat, reflection and altitude all vary — so we present safe times as a ceiling, not a target.
Where the live UV data comes from
The live UV index, hourly curve and 7-day forecast come from the Open-Meteo forecast API, which models UV for your exact coordinates. It’s a forecast, not a ground sensor, so treat it as a close guide and re-check before long exposure.
This isn’t medical advice
TanCare gives general, educational sun-care guidance. It can’t account for medications, conditions or a personal history of skin cancer. If you have specific concerns, follow your doctor’s advice.
Privacy
The calculators run entirely in your browser. When you check the live UV index we send only the coordinates you choose (a city you search, or your device location if you allow it) to the weather API to get a forecast — we don’t store your location or build a profile of your skin.
Accuracy & corrections
We keep this content reviewed and current (last reviewed June 2026). Spotted something off? We’d genuinely like to fix it — get in touch and we’ll update it.
Your tan, planned by the hour.
Everything on this site, plus live UV by the hour, a burn-timer that counts down for your skin, SPF reapply reminders and push alerts the moment your safe window opens.