Epidermal urocanic acid has been postulated to be the mediator of the specific state of immunosuppression induced by UV irradiation, by which UV-initiated tumour cells are able to evade normal recognition and can survive to grow progressively into malignant tumours. These experiments demonstrate that topical application of UV-irradiated urocanic acid systemically suppresses the contact type hypersensitivity response to oxazolone in hairless mice. In addition, topically applied urocanic acid markedly increases the overt tumour yield and the degree of malignancy in hairless mice exposed chronically to daily minimally erythemal doses of simulated solar UV light. Topical urocanic acid also increases the number of latent UV-initiated tumours, detectable by croton oil promotion. Therefore UV photoproducts of urocanic acid can both systemically suppress contact hypersensitivity in the epidermis, and also enhance early survival of UV-initiated tumour cells resulting in augmentation of UV photocarcinogenesis.