Recently, a TikTok video posted by an influencer went viral, showing users how to make their own sunscreen. This trend immediately caught the attention of dermatologists, who were quick to sound the alarm on social networks.
In the video, seen over 20 million times, the influencer mixes coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax and jojoba oil. After melting these ingredients in a bowl over boiling water, they add zinc oxide powder, then let the mixture cool in the refrigerator before applying it to the skin.
User reactions to this homemade recipe are mixed. Some TikTokers wonder about the cream’s effectiveness, asking questions like “how do you know it works?”, or “what is the ingredient that makes this cream a sunscreen?”
Others, however, are more easily won over. The video even received positive feedback from the cosmetics brand Kiehl’s, which posted: “Homemade SPF? We love it!”
Yet, in the face of this new fad, dermatology experts have spoken out to warn people about the potential dangers of making your own sunscreen. While zinc oxide does indeed protect you from the sun, and is used in a wide variety of commercially available products, the video does not specify the quantities of any of the ingredients used.
For dermatologists, it is impossible to guarantee whether the final product offers SPF 30 protection or only SPF 3, which exposes users to sunburn and an increased risk of skin cancer.
“Sunscreen formulation is very complicated, and you can’t just mix zinc oxide powder into emollients, oils, and expect it to protect you properly,” explained one expert named Dr Dray, who counts 500,000 followers on TikTok.
“First of all, the zinc oxide will, on a microscopic level, be clumped together. So when it goes on the skin, it’s not going to provide an even layer of protection, and also you’re not going to have the film-forming components in there. So you’re going to have areas where there’s just not any protection whatsoever.
“This is really dangerous. I don’t recommend doing it.”
In short, while natural and homemade alternatives may sound appealing, formulating your own sunscreen products is not the safest way to try out the trend.