Videos about sunscreen are everywhere on the social network TikTok, but the most viral are those full of misinformation, revealed a study published Thursday in the journal Plos Digital Health.
Researchers from the University of Alberta, in Canada, analyzed the videos with the most views on the platform with the five most popular hashtags related to sunscreen. Although the majority—87% of the almost 1,000 videos—promoted the use of sunscreen, the contents with the most interaction were precisely those that contained misinformation.
This misinformation ranged from false claims from “sunburn is not dangerous” to the misconception that sunscreen is toxic, said the study’s lead author, Alessandro Marcon, a researcher at the University of Alberta who studies how health information is disseminated in the media.
“There were specific mentions that sunscreen has the potential to disrupt hormones, that it is carcinogenic, that it contains carcinogenic substances, that it could contaminate breast milk or that it has microplastics,” Marcon explained.
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Dr. Anthony Rossi, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said, “I have to spend a lot of time clarifying the truth: Sunscreen really helps, and using sunscreen is not going to cause skin cancer or cause a vitamin D deficiency.”
Rossi, who was not involved in the research, said the idea that sunscreen causes vitamin D deficiency is a false narrative which has been widely spread on social networks. “There are several studies that show that, even with regular daily use of sunscreen, a vitamin D deficiency does not develop,” he said.
According to the new analysis, much of the misinformation about sun protection focuses on so-called chemical sunscreens, which use chemical filters to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays. Mineral sunscreens use mineral-based filters, either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, to block the sun’s harmful rays.
“There is currently no scientific evidence that any widely used ingredient in ‘chemical’ sunscreens (e.g., oxybenzone) is harmful to health,” the researchers wrote.
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Dr. Molly Hales, a dermatologist and researcher at the University of Chicago, noted that “the ingredients in both chemical and mineral sunscreens are monitored and regulated by the FDA, meaning they undergo rigorous safety profiles and safety testing before they are allowed to be sold, even though they are over-the-counter products.”
Marcon assured that he understands the concern about microplastics, which predominate in everyday life. However, he indicated, there is no evidence that protectors expose people to higher levels than other sources.
The study released Thursday is not the first sign that social media could be skewing people’s opinions about sunscreen and sun protection.
This year, one-third of Gen Z participants scored insufficiently in the American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) annual sun protection survey.
The survey attributes this lack of knowledge to social media: 36% of Gen Z members surveyed said they turn to social media. influencers as their main source of skin care information, while 64% said they had encountered misinformation about sunscreens online.
“I would say 95% of misinformation can be attributed to social media,” said Dr. Marisa Garshick, a dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York and a member of the AAD. “Whether directly because people see other people talking about problems with sunscreen, or indirectly when it is the influencer favorite of someone who shows that he was exposed to the sun for three hours and got tan marks.”
The consequences are clear: Skin cancer is on the rise worldwide.
Garshick noted that he is seeing more diagnoses of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer in his younger patients.
This is “just a sign that some of that sun damage that affects us really starts when we are children,” he said. “I think that’s what makes this social media situation so concerning, because that’s where a lot of these teens get their information.”
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Hales said she often sees new patients who don’t realize it’s necessary to wear sunscreen every day.
“I would say that a good number of new patients who come to see me for their first skin checkup are surprised to hear that Yes, we recommend applying sunscreen daily.even when they don’t plan to go out to a baseball game, a hike or some other outdoor activity,” he said.
Garshick said she encourages people to find the sunscreen that works best for them, whether it’s a chemical or mineral product. More sunscreen options will soon hit the U.S. market, thanks to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent clearance of the globally popular UV filter bemotrizinol.
“The best sunscreen is the one you are going to use,” he said.
Marcon, author of the study, urged social media users to be cautious when obtaining health information on these platforms.
“When someone posts a message directly related to a product they are selling, you have to be extremely cautious about that message,” he said.
“The public should be suspicious from content that provokes extreme emotions, especially fear, and from health-related content that appears to promote marginal ideas or specific political agendas, rather than a shared consensus based on scientific findings.
