Mother, 47, claims she was minutes away from death after being poisoned by £25 ‘Barbie tan drug’ bought online
A mother claims a £25 nose tanning spray called the ‘Barbie drug’ almost killed her.
Edith Eagle, 47, could not breathe as her face swelled when the tanning spray she bought online ‘poisoned’ her over the holidays.
Mrs Eagle, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had taken the product five days before her family holiday to Fuerteventura last April.
The mother of four, who works as a chef, says she followed the instructions on the nasal spray label.
Mrs Eagle woke up on the second day of her holiday with a swollen face, making her unrecognizable to her family, and having difficulty breathing. The ‘frightening’ incident saw her rushed to hospital.
Edith Eagle, who works as a chef and lives in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, bought a £25 bottle of tanning nasal spray in preparation for her holiday
Ms Egale woke up on the second day of her family holiday last April with a swollen face and difficulty breathing. Hospital staff acted quickly and treated her with a high dose of steroids and was discharged later that day. But she said it took more than a week for her symptoms to go away
Ms Eagle, who is also a stepmother of four, was treated with high doses of steroids after being rushed to the nearest hospital on the Canary Island.
Shocking footage of the incident shows her lying in a hospital bed.
Mrs Eagle, who also owns a wedding venue with husband Carl Fox, 54, believes she has had an allergic reaction to something in the spray, and is urging others not to use similar products.
It is currently illegal to sell or advertise sprays and injectables containing melanotan in Britain.
It is not clear whether the spray Ms Eagle purchased was marketed as containing melanotan.
Mrs Eagle had taken the product (pictured) five days before her family holiday to Fuerteventura. She only experienced complaints a few days after her holiday
But MailOnline has previously discovered that melanotan is being sold illegally online, with gyms and salons also caught selling it in recent years.
The artificial hormone accelerates tanning by stimulating the pigment cells in the skin to produce more melanin, which can make the skin look darker.
Melanotan has also been banned in the US and Australia due to the serious side effects it can cause, including kidney damage.
Although it is illegal to sell in Britain, it is not against the law to buy it. It is also called the ‘Barbie drug’ because of its supposed tanning effects.
The products are unregulated, meaning they may contain harmful chemicals listed on the label.
The £25 nose tanning spray, called ‘Barbie medicine’, was bought online by Ms Eagle
Ms Eagle said the ingredients were not listed on the product’s label, meaning she did not know what she was allergic to.
She used the tan after stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, suggested she take a nasal spray to get a tan faster.
“I Googled it and saw it pop up online and ordered it,” Ms Eagle said. ‘I think I paid £25 for the bottle. I love getting a tan because I prefer not to wear makeup. I always liked to look fresh with a tan.
‘We were so tanned on the first day, I have never experienced anything like that. I was very tanned after one day.
‘But the next morning I woke up and realized I couldn’t breathe properly. Then I noticed that I was completely swollen. I was so out of breath and had to concentrate so much on breathing. It was really hard to breathe.
‘My neck was so swollen that my chain was tight. I was just swollen everywhere. I realized it must be an allergic reaction.”
Ms Eagle added: ‘There are no ingredients on the bottle – you don’t know what you are putting into the body.’
She contacted the hotel reception, who called a taxi to take her to the nearest hospital, where she was quickly attended to by the emergency department.
Hospital staff gave her a high dose of steroids and discharged her later that day.
But Ms Eagle said it took more than a week for her symptoms to completely disappear.
“I told the consultant the only thing I’ve done differently this week is I’m taking this nasal spray,” she said.
Edith Eagle used the tan after her stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, (pictured left) suggested using a nose tanning spray to tan faster
The mother-of-four, pictured with her daughter Eliana Eagle, 15, followed the instructions on the tanning product’s label and sniffed the spray meant to give customers ‘darker’ skin pigment
‘I’ve never had an allergic reaction to any food in my entire life. I think it was definitely the spray.
‘I wouldn’t be standing here if the hospital staff hadn’t acted so quickly. I was immediately rushed through it. It was so scary.’
Since the incident, she has seen other people post on social media about similar reactions to tanning nasal sprays.
Ms. Eagle said she “could have died that day.”
“If they hadn’t been so hands-on that day at the hospital, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story,” she said.
Stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, shared a post warning others about the spray on social media
‘I will never buy something like this again, especially not on the internet. How they can sell sprays with no ingredients listed is so concerning. I’d rather not get a tan.
‘It was scary for my family to see me like this. I feel grateful to be alive.
‘Please don’t make the same mistake I did. If this can save someone’s life, then I would rather suffer for someone else before they make a stupid decision like I did! “I blame myself,” she added.
Kayla shared a post on social media warning others about the spray.
In it, Kayla said: ‘Please don’t use nose tanners because this is what they can do to you.
‘I poisoned my stepmother’s body and she had an allergic reaction. Stay away from them… They are so dangerous to some people.”