, says the increase in anti-sunscreen content now is due to a misinterpretation and regurgitation of legitimate research articles. “The influence of alternative health communities and personal anecdotes can propagate a message about sunscreen that is in direct opposition to that communicated by dermatologists for years,” he says.
Murphy-Rose says that those concerned about some sunscreen ingredients can always reach for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide options instead, also known as mineral sunscreens. “These provide excellent UV protection without evidence of systemic absorption,” she says. Whatever sunscreen you choose , Camp says the AAD recommends using sunscreens that offer “a minimum SPF 30, broad-spectrum coverage for UVA and UVB and are water resistant”.
Odusami notices a trend of anti-sunscreen content originating from three types of people: “individuals that fear society in general”, “the hyper-natural ‘clean’ beauty people”, and “marginalized communities with a history of medical racism”. The third category of people is where she directs her sunscreen re-eduction content to. “When I was younger, I used only a tiny bit of sunscreen until an amazing dermatologist told me I was sunburned,” she says.
lacked the diversity of images needed to teach how to properly diagnose skin conditions on melanated skinFor creators like Odusami, there’s a large amount of sunscreen re-eduction currently underway to counter the current wave of concerns. She aims to add more context and nuance to sunscreen dialogue online, especially for her Black followers.
Armed with the popular wellness trope of “removing toxins from the body” and a growing distrust in science , some wellness creators seem to have turned their backs on sunscreen in recent years but that doesn’t mean you should. As Camp puts it: “The risks outweigh the benefits of excessive or unprotected sun exposure.” Until the sunscreen misinformation stops, Odusami and other experts will continue to reapply their sunscreen every day online. “I love sunscreen,” Odusami says.