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Experts settle debate on cancer-causing toxins in sunscreen...amid dangerous trend of ditching SPF
Influencers are known for hopping on the bandwagon of far-fetched health and wellness trends.
The past year has seen TikTok users drink oil to whiten their teeth, rub banana peel on their face to fight wrinkles and even guzzle Borax for pain relief.
The latest trend appears particularly dangerous — ditching sun protection.
All over TikTok, content creators are sharing videos in which they announce that they've sworn off sunscreen because they believe it contains cancer-causing chemicals including toxic benzene, which is released into the atmosphere during volcanoes and forest fires.
Some have gone as far as to claim that sunlight does not cause skin cancer — which affects around five million Americans every year.
Gubba Homestead, a lifestyle influencer, shared on X that she will 'never' wear sunscreen and that there is 'no proof the sun causes cancer'
In one resurfaced video from March on X, lifestyle influencer and self-proclaimed 'conspiracy theorist' Gubba Homestead, who has 50,000 followers on the platform, said: 'I don't wear sunscreen, and I never will.'
In the video, she claims that 'there is no proof the sun causes cancer' and we have been 'brainwashed' into thinking so. 'The sun is not the enemy,' she adds. 'Your diet and sunscreen are.'
While no expert is suggesting nixing suncream, some early research suggests the ingredients in some of our sun protection could be a cause for concern.
A TikToker named Prince shared a video recommending against sunscreen due to some products containing benzene. He instead suggested using coconut oil
In 2020, experts at the National Toxicology Program conducted extensive studies and noted rats exposed to UV filter oxybenzone developed tumors in the thyroid and womb.
Meanwhile, other analyses have found that benzene, which is known to cause blood cancers with long-term exposure, is present in many of our favorite sunscreens.
So should we be worried about using sun protection?
No, experts say.
'Just because it's [potentially cancer-causing chemicals] there doesn't mean it's doing anything bad,' Dr Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, told the Wall Street Journal.
Ideas about the potential harms of sunscreens began in 2021, when Johnson & Johnson recalled most of its Neutrogena and Aveeno spray sunscreens after detecting benzene in some samples.
Prince EA, a life coach, posted a TikTok shortly after the recall, which attracted more than 4million views, claiming that benzene 'causes cancer.'
'Isn't it ironic? A product designed to help prevent you from getting skin cancer has ingredients that cause cancer,' he said in the video.
Prince recommended swapping sunscreen for coconut oil, claiming it provides 45 minutes of protection against sun exposure. 'Your skin absorbs everything you put on it, so if you wouldn't eat it, why put it on your skin?'
In 2022, a study from independent lab Valisure found that a third of the 661 had low concentrations of benezene. David Light, Valisure's co-founder, previously told DailyMail.com this was due to impurities in the supply chain.
At the time, the FDA said that the benzene could have come from chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
The biggest culprits were spray sunscreens and after-sun lotions and gels from brands including Garnier, Bioderma, LaRoche-Posay, L'Oreal, Coppertone, Banana Leaf and Neutrogena.
Other ingredients that have come into question include oxybenzone and avobenzone, which are used to block UV rays. The FDA has requested additional data from sunscreen companies on the safety of these ingredients, though experts said that there is no evidence of harm in humans.
A 2011 study found that even if humans applied sunscreen containing ozybenzone over their entire bodies every day, it would take nearly 30 years to reach the amount of exposure needed to develop tumors.
And what of claims that sunscreen is effectively useless?
In January, reality star Kristin Cavallari came under fire after admitting she didn't wear sunscreen on her 'Let's Be Honest' podcast.
She asked Ryan Monahan, a functional medicine practitioner in California, to explain why he thinks wearing sunscreen is not necessary. Mr Monahan claims to be a doctor but does not hold an MD.
Reality star Kristin Cavallari came under fire earlier this year for saying that she does not wear sunscreen. She also brought on a functional medicine doctor, Ryan Monahan, who claimed that antioxidant supplements can help people build up a tolerance to the sun
Dr Andrea Saurez, a dermatologist in Houston, stitched Ms Cavallari's video in April and pointed out that while our ancestors spent all day every day in the sun, 'they died before the average age of onset of skin cancer'
'We've literally spent our whole existence as humans under the sun all day until the last 100 years or so, and now we're shut-ins and spend 93 percent of our time indoors,' he said.
'However, we are living quite an inflammatory lifestyle, so when you're internally inflamed, the sun can aggravate that, and you don't have the reservoir of antioxidants to combat that potential oxidative stress.'
Mr Monahan went on to claim that taking enough antioxidant supplements can 'work up your base coat in the sun' so you can 'tolerate the sun instead of burning.' He referred to this as 'internal sunscreen.'
Commenting on the video, Dr Andrea Saurez, a dermatologist in Houston, pointed out that while our ancestors spent all day every day in the sun, 'they died before the average age of onset of skin cancer.'
She noted that while antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in foods like fruits and vegetables can strengthen protection against ultraviolet radiation, these alone are not enough to prevent damage from UV rays.
'This doesn't act as a sunscreen. This doesn't protect the cells of your skin against DNA damage,' she said.
'Enjoy your time outdoors, but protect your skin. No, a supplement is not going to do that for you.'
Influencer Taylor Morgan claimed that sunlight is 'how you heal' and that 'this is what the pharmaceutical industry does not want you to know'
Meanwhile, experts have warned that the risk of skin cancer from sun exposure are well established, and health agencies recommend using sunscreen with at least 30 SPF
Taylor Morgan, a Marine Corps veteran who calls himself 'The Captain,' posted a TikTok last year showing himself standing shirtless in a stream with the sun beating down from above.
'Right now, we are doing the healthiest thing that a human being can possibly do,' he says in the video, which has more than 7.4million views. 'We are outside in the sun, no sunscreen, no sunglasses, the full spectrum of UV light, while grounding in a natural body of water.'
Experts are unanimous in agreement that the risk of foregoing sun protection is not only better established, but also far more deadly than any potential risk involved with using it.
And research has shown that the spread of misinformation could lead young adults to form dangerous habits when it comes to sun exposire.
A recent survey from Orlando Health Cancer Institute, for example, polled over 1,000 adults and found that nearly one-third believed a tan makes people look healthier, and 35 percent did not known if having a 'base tan' prevents skin cancer.
Dr Rajesh Nair, an oncology surgeon at Orlando Health Cancer Institute, said: 'There is no such thing has a healthy tan, as it's really just a visual manifestation of damage to the skin.'
'But we’re fighting against a perceived positive image and health benefits of something that actually has a totally opposite reality, which is that suntanned skin represents an increased risk of a deadly disease.'
Additionally, the researchers found that one in seven adults under 35 believe using sunscreen every day is more harmful to the skin than direct sun exposure.
And nearly one-quarter think that drinking water and staying hydrated prevents sunburns.
'No scientific data is suggesting that drinking water provides any protection from the sun,' Dr Nair said.
'As for sunscreens, the protective benefits far outweigh any known risks, but if you’re concerned about chemicals or ingredients in a sunscreen, mineral sunscreens like zinc oxide that offer a physical barrier to the sun are proven to be safe, as well as clothing with SPF protection.'
Dr Nair also noted that having so many sources of information, including social media, can make it easier to fall for these myths.
Meanwhile, it has been well established that excessive UV exposure increases the risk of skin cancer.
Sun and UV exposure has long been known to be the leading risk factor for the disease.
Studies show that having five sunburns in your lifetime doubles the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.
32 year-old Rachael Rollisson, who is from the UK, has told of her shock skin cancer diagnosis that led to the removal of tissue from her forehead. She warns others that it can 'happen to anyone'.
Repeated use of indoor tanning beds under the age of 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 75 percent, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the CDC both state that the sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths all give off harmful UV radiation and recommend using sunscreen.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) recommends using a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF, water resistance, and broad-spectrum protection - this means it combats both UVA and UVB rays.
Patients have previously told the Daily Mail of their battles with the deadly disease, which sometimes includes operations to remove part of the face to destroy the cancer.
One 32 year-old woman revealed she had to have a huge chunk of her forehead removed after what she thought was a birthmark turned out to be cancer.