WASHINGTON: A bare-chested TikTok influencer scornfully slung a tube of sunscreen over his shoulder and claimed the cream caused cancer. Instead, it promotes “regular sun exposure” to its 400,000 followers — a move that contradicts American dermatologists, who are fighting the rise of such dubious misinformation.
Amid the scorching summer, some social media influencers are offering potentially dangerous sun protection advice, despite increased warnings from health experts about overexposure amid rising skin cancer rates.
Further undermining public health, the videos — some garnering millions of views — share “homemade” recipes that use ingredients like beef tallow, avocado butter and beeswax that are said to provide effective skin protection.
In one viral TikTok video, “transformation coach” Jerome Tan ditches commercial cream and tells his followers that eating natural foods will allow the body to create its “own sunscreen.”
He offers no scientific evidence for this.
Such online misinformation is increasingly causing real harm, experts say.
One in seven American adults under 35 think that using sunscreen every day is more harmful than direct sun exposure, and nearly a quarter believe that staying hydrated can prevent sunburn, according to an Ipsos poll this year for the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
“People are buying into a lot of really dangerous ideas that are putting them at further risk,” warned Rajesh Nair, an oncological surgeon at the institute.
As influencers increasingly question commercial sunscreens, another US survey showed a decline in their use, with around 75 percent of Americans using sunscreen regularly, down from 79 percent in 2022.
The findings coincide with other trends showing a growing public distrust of established medical guidelines — including the Covid-19 and other vaccines — and increasing reliance on influencers with little or no scientific knowledge.
Dermatologists are trying to disabuse people of the increasingly popular belief that more sun exposure is good for the skin.
“There is no such thing as a safe tan,” Daniel Bennett, a dermatologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told AFP.
“The evidence that exposure to ultraviolet light is the primary preventable factor in skin cancer is overwhelming,” he added.
Many misleading or false claims come from influencers trying to monetize their content on social media platforms, an echo where sensational and false claims often drive engagement, experts say.
Some content creators are using “sunscreen skepticism” to “sell their own dietary supplements or promote alternative all-natural sunscreens,” Eric Dahan, founder of influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy, told AFP.
Dahan pointed to one Instagram post that advised “not wearing sunscreen all the time” while promoting a range of skin care products.
“Say goodbye to solar paranoia,” read the emoticon-filled post. “Catch some (guilt-free) rays this summer.”
Another bare-chested Instagram influencer holding a surfboard on the beach says she refuses sunscreen.
“Should I be worried about skin cancer? I’m not,” he wrote while promoting an “animal-based sunscreen” made from beef tallow.
Tallow — essentially rendered, rendered beef fat — has no ability to block UV rays by itself, said Megan Poynot Couvillion, a dermatologist practicing in Texas.
“I don’t see a problem with using it on the skin as an emollient, but absolutely not as a sunscreen,” she told AFP.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has called for more research into the ingredients in commercial sunscreens, but recommends against their use, saying 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 a sunscreen at home that will effectively block UV rays is unrealistic, said Adam Friedman, a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “There’s no way you can do it in your basement,” Friedman told AFP.
