Disdainfully tossing a tube of sunscreen over his shoulder, a nude TikTok influencer claims the cream causes cancer. Instead, he promotes “regular sun exposure” to his 400,000 followers—contrary to American dermatologists who are fighting the rise of dubious misinformation.
According AFPamid a scorching summer, some social media influencers are offering potentially dangerous sun protection advice despite heightened warnings from health experts about overexposure amid rising skin cancer rates.
Further undermining public health, videos – some garnering millions of views – share “homemade” recipes that use ingredients such as beef tallow, avocado butter and beeswax for what is claimed to provide effective skin protection.
In a viral TikTok video, “makeover coach” Jerome Tan ditches a commercial cream and tells his followers that eating natural foods will allow the body to make its “own sunscreen.” He offers no scientific evidence for this.
Such online misinformation is increasingly causing damage in the real world, experts say. One in seven American adults under 35 believe that daily sunscreen use is more harmful than direct sun exposure, and nearly a quarter believe that staying hydrated can prevent a sunburn, according to an Ipsos survey this year for the Institute Orlando Cancer.
“People buy into a lot of really dangerous ideas that put them at additional risk,” warned Rajesh Nair, a surgical oncologist at the institute.
No safe tanning
As influencers increasingly question commercial sunscreen products, another US survey showed a decline in their use, with about 75 percent of Americans using sunscreen regularly, down from 79 percent in 2022.
The findings coincide with other trends showing growing public distrust of established medical guidelines — including for COVID-19 and other vaccines — and growing reliance on influencers with little or no scientific knowledge.
Dermatologists are trying to disabuse people of the increasingly popular notion that higher levels of sun exposure are good for the skin. “There is no such thing as a safe tan,” said Daniel Bennett, a dermatologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. AFP.
“The evidence that UV light exposure is the main preventive factor for skin cancer is overwhelming,” he added.
Many of the misleading or false claims come from influencers seeking to monetize their content on social media platforms, an echo chamber where sensational and false claims often drive engagement, experts say.
Some content creators are taking advantage of “sunscreen skepticism” to “sell their own supplements or endorse alternative natural sunscreens,” said Eric Dahan, founder of influencer marketing firm Mighty Joy. AFP.
Sun paranoia
Dahan pointed to an Instagram post that advised against wearing sunscreen “all the time” while promoting a line of skin care products. “Say goodbye to sunshine madness,” the emoji-filled post said. “Catch some (guilt-free) rays this summer.”
Holding a surfboard on a beach, another bare-chested Instagram influencer says she ditches sunscreen. “Worried about skin cancer? No,” she posted, while promoting her “animal-based sunscreen” made from beef tallow.
Tallow — essentially rendered, rendered beef fat — doesn’t have the ability to block UV rays on its own, said Megan Poinot Couvillion, a dermatologist in Texas. “I don’t see a problem using it on the skin as an emollient, but absolutely not as a sunscreen,” she said. AFP.
The US Food and Drug Administration has called for more research into the ingredients in commercial sunscreens, but recommends their use, noting that excessive sun exposure is a major contributor to skin cancer.
Homemade sunscreens “lack effective sun protection,” leaving users vulnerable to sunburn, premature skin aging and skin cancer, the American Academy of Dermatology warns.
Some influencers’ recipes include zinc oxide, a well-known sunscreen. But making sunscreen at home that will effectively block UV radiation is not realistic, said Adam Friedman, a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “There’s no way you can do that in your basement,” Friedman said AFP.
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