“Do-It-Yourself (DIY)” sunscreen recipes are popular on Pinterest, often making broad claims about sun protection while using questionable ingredients. Consumers who are concerned about the safety of themselves, their children, and/or the environment and seek alternatives to commercially available products may attempt to create these sunscreens and use them under the assumption that they are equivalent or better to the ones approved by the FDA.
A recent study, conducted by Julie Merten, PhD, et al, investigated posts for sunscreen-related products on Pinterest to evaluate the content, claims, and popularity of these pins among users.1 Merten et al identified 189 pins on sunscreen. The majority (95.2%) positively portrayed the effectiveness of homemade sunscreens despite over half of these recipes (68.3%) offering insufficient UV radiation protection. Nearly half (41.8%) of the pins were saved, ranging from 1 to 21,000 times, with a mean 808.4 saves.1
“What concerns me most as a public health researcher is what is at risk here,” said Lara McKenzie, PhD, with the Center for Injury at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, and corresponding author of the study, in an interview with The Dermatologist. “At best, people will get a really bad sunburn and at worst they are risking skin cancer down the road.”
Bruce Brod, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, who was not affiliated with the study, echoed Dr McKenzie’s concerns. “I think some of the recommendations on homemade sunscreens, and I use the term sunscreen very loosely, are potentially dangerous for the public,” said Dr Brod in an interview with The Dermatologist.
Harms of DIY Sunscreen
Of the 189 pins, 33% had SPF claims that ranged from 2 to 50, with the most listed from 30 to 40. Additionally, 12.2% claimed to be water resistant, and 12.2% claimed to prevent sunburn, while only 4.2% mentioned preventing skin cancer.1
“I was really surprised about the SPF claims that some of the recipes were making, which are unsubstantiated claims, basically, because even if you were to look at the natural protectives of some of the ingredients, I don’t think you could get high SPF. And, there is no way of knowing because if it is not lab tested, then how do we know?” said Dr McKenzie.
Dr Brod added that coconut oil, which was the most commonly listed ingredient in homemade sunscreens (66.1%),1 “has very minimal, if any, sun protecting capabilities.”
Moreover, essential oils and some of the other ingredients recommend in these products may not necessarily be safe for everyone, he said. Essential oils were the second most common ingredient (48.7%), with lavender and raspberry the most recommended oils.1 “Those oils are very popular in personal products, but in some people, they can cause severe allergic reactions of the skin,” said Dr Brod.
Other recommended ingredients included shea butter (42.3%), beeswax (38.6%), zinc (35.4%), and avocado oil (17.5%).1
Problems In the Name
While homemade versions utilize the term ‘sunscreen,’ they are not actually sunscreens, because sunscreens are regulated and reviewed by the FDA as over-the-counter drugs, said Dr Brod. “In my opinion, a website that lists [these homemade products] as sunscreens is analogous to them saying ‘here is a list of homemade heart medications or homemade diabetes medications’,” he added.
Furthermore, “17 ingredients are needed to be included in FDA-approved sunscreen for broad-spectrum coverage and these recipes do not contain any of those ingredients,” added Dr McKenzie. The new proposed regulations include changes to the packaging to make it easier for consumers to understand the information and product they are purchasing.4 However, more needs to be done to educate the public on what sunscreen is to prevent consumers from assuming a homemade product or recipe claiming to be sunscreen that lacks data on safety, efficacy, testing on SPF and water resistance will offer them the same protection.
Misinformation About Safety
There is a lot of press on the safety and environmental concerns of sunscreen ingredients. In 2018, Hawaiian legislation banned sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate following reports that these ingredients harm coral reefs.2 The city of Key West in Florida followed Hawaii and banned sunscreens containing both ingredients as well, which will go into effect in January 2021.3
In addition, the FDA issued new regulations for sunscreens, which called for more information on 12 of the active ingredients in sunscreen that lacked safety data.4 A recent study published in JAMA supported the need for nonclinical testing after the authors found higher-than-anticipated systemic absorption of 4 active ingredients.5
“The FDA still recommends using sunscreen as part of its legislative initiative,” said Dr Brod. The process for collecting more safety data is because sunscreen is used frequently and widely on the skin. “This is only a positive thing,” he added. These ingredients are not deemed unsafe by the FDA and the authors of the study published in JAMA called for further testing before making any claims regarding the safety of the ingredients based on their results.5
Dr McKenzie echoed the sentiments of the authors, saying, “we really need more data to be shared and information to be gathered. However, none of the worries about absorption or the environment, in my opinion, should override the use of FDA-approved sunscreens at this stage.”
The 2 ingredients that were considered generally unsafe by the FDA are no longer in use, and these include PABA and trolamine salicylate.4 The two physical blockers consider generally safe and effective are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.4
Data on the environmental impact of sunscreens is still controversial. However, consumers have options for sunscreens, including ones perceived as environmentally friendly.