Does sunscreen cause skin cancer? Doctors debunk claims on social media

June 13, 2024

Claims about the safety of tanning are circulating on social media, fuelling a major misconception that sunscreen can cause skin cancer.

Hundreds of creators, many of them TikTok users, have posted videos arguing that cancer isn’t caused by the sun, but by harmful chemicals in sunscreen.

This comes after Neutrogena spray-on sunscreen and Aveeno products (Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen) were recalled in 2021 because they contained benzene, a known carcinogen.

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According to an October 2021 advisory from Harvard Medical School, Johnson & Johnson executives have confirmed that benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens.

Additional testing reportedly found that the levels of benzene in these products were so low they were not expected to pose health problems.

A bottle of Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena Beach Defense, one of the sunscreens recalled for containing benzene, is displayed on a table. (Amy Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

As a solution, experts recommended choosing a different sunscreen brand.

But a national survey by the Orlando Health Cancer Institute in Florida found that one in seven adults under the age of 35 believes sunscreen is more harmful to the skin than direct exposure to the sun.

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An additional 23% believe that drinking water and staying hydrated can help prevent sunburn.

“This phenomenon comes at a time of growing public distrust of corporations due to the prevalence of harmful chemicals in consumer products.”

Surveys show that most Americans (32%) believe that getting a tan makes them look better and healthier.

“There is no such thing as a healthy tan,” Dr. Rajesh Nair, a surgical oncologist at Orlando Health Cancer Institute, said in a press release.

According to a survey by the Orlando Health Cancer Institute, 32% of Americans believe that a tan makes them look better and healthier. (iStock)

“It’s just a visual representation of damaged skin,” he says, “but we’re battling a positive image and the perception of a health benefit when in fact the exact opposite reality is that tanned skin increases the risk of deadly diseases.”

“Age, sex and phenotype also play a role.”

Krista Rubin, a nurse practitioner with the melanoma team at the Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that there is “very little evidence to support the claim that sunscreen is carcinogenic.”

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“There is clear evidence of an association between UV exposure and skin cancer,” she said by email, “but the risk of developing skin cancer is not limited to UV exposure, but also influences age, sex, and phenotype.”

Rubin said men are at higher risk of developing skin cancer, but so are people with blonde or red hair and those with light skin or eyes.

A man applying sunscreen to his shoulders on the beach

According to experts, sunburn is caused by damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun. (iStock)

Other risk factors include having a suppressed immune system, having received a solid organ transplant, and taking certain medications.

Rubin reiterated that sunburn occurs when the sun’s ultraviolet rays damage the skin, so while drinking water in hot weather can help prevent dehydration and cool you down, it won’t prevent sunburn.

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“Sunburn is visible evidence of skin damage,” experts say. “Whether from the sun or a tanning bed, it exposes the skin to high levels of UVA radiation, which is bad for your health and has been shown to lead to both skin cancer and accelerated aging.”

Eric Dahan, founder of Mighty Joy and a social media expert, said he believes social media is “full of misinformation about sunscreen.”

“Sunburn is visible evidence of skin damage,” says one expert. (iStock)

“It’s often promoted by well-intentioned, but generally uninformed, self-proclaimed health and wellness experts and some dermatologists,” says the California-based Dahan.

“Much misinformation stems from the fact that the actual science is less intriguing and more nuanced than the bold (false) statements.”

The spread of misinformation about sunscreen reflects “general public sentiment” about the ingredients in products, Dahan said.

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“This phenomenon reflects the public’s growing distrust of corporations due to the prevalence of harmful chemicals in consumer products,” he said.

“Over the years, we’ve discovered that materials that were deemed ‘safe’ are extremely harmful, from lead to BPA to PFaS and now plastic.”

Woman and man applying sunscreen while kayaking

One expert pointed out that the rising incidence of cancer among young people could be leading to “distrust of companies.” (iStock)

Dahan noted that cancer rates are also rising among young people, which is adding to a “healthy distrust of corporations and government regulators.”

“There seems to be a lot of misinformation about sunscreens that stems from old chemicals that were used decades ago, had contamination incidents that led to recalls and then were banned,” he said.

Dahan suggested that among social media consumers, “it’s very hard for non-experts to determine what’s true.”

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“There is conflicting research, conflicting opinions from seemingly credible people, complete misinformation, and an overall lack of trust in the private companies that make these products and in government regulators,” he said.

Some experts, including Dr. Nikki Gaethje, a board-certified dermatologist in Florida, have responded on social media, recommending the use of benzene-free sunscreen alternatives.