With the days getting warmer, many are tanning or being outside more. Time in the sun is fun, as long as you protect yourself – and that usually means wearing sunscreen.
But some recent TikTok trends are discouraging people from using sunscreen.
The sun’s ultraviolet, or UV, rays can be damaging, so sunscreen is essential to reducing the health risks of prolonged sun exposure, like skin cancer.
Even if you already apply sunscreen regularly, check EWG’s 20th Annual Guide to Sunscreens to see whether your products provide adequate sun protection and are free from ingredients linked to health harms.
The guide includes thousands of sunscreen products and found nearly 80% of them do not meet EWG’s criteria for top-rated products, because they provide inadequate sun protection or contain harmful ingredients.
Here are five viral sunscreen trends, the myths behind them, and how to stay safe from their potentially harmful effects.
Homemade sunscreen proponents say it’s a safe, affordable and simple option. But it may create more problems than it solves. DIY sunscreens often provide ineffective protection against UV radiation, since they almost always fail to achieve even a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 6.
2. “Base tans” and “Base burns”
Some people avoid wearing sunscreen in order to build up a “base burn,” or tan.
This is dangerous because any tan is evidence of skin damage – and sunburn is even more so. Tanning can increase your risk of skin cancer, even if you don’t burn.
This practice involves strategically applying sunscreen to some parts of the face, to enhance a tan in specific areas. Sounds great, right? Instant summerlong highlights and contours, achieved without makeup.
But “sun contouring” is dangerous – it encourages people to damage their skin intentionally by applying lower SPF sunscreen to or leaving some parts of their face entirely unprotected.
The long-term effects of this method may ultimately make you look older. In addition to preventing sunburn, sunscreen prevents premature aging and reduces the risk of skin cancer.
Instead of contouring your sunscreen, choose a contoured makeup look – and don't forget to apply sunscreen afterward
4. Sun tattoos
This is just a bad idea that requires you to overexposure your body to UV rays.
If you develop skin cancer on one part of your body, it can spread to other areas of your skin and metastasize to other parts of the body. To reduce the risk of skin cancer, make sure to apply sunscreen everywhere your body will be exposed to the sun.
Tanning beds as a solution to skin problems? Not happening.
In fact, tanning beds are classified as a known carcinogen – they can increase the risk of skin cancer. Research links the beds to a higher risk of melanoma, especially when first use occurs before age 30.
The Food and Drug Administration has long warned that children and teens should never use tanning beds because of their health concerns. But the Trump administration quietly killed a pending FDA rule that would have banned anyone under 18 from using the beds.
Tips for sun safety
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your time in the sun.
- Cover up and wear sunglasses. Shirts, hats, shorts and pants provide the best protection from UV rays. Good shades protect your eyes from UV radiation, which may cause cataracts.
- Find shade or make it. Picnic under a tree, read beneath an umbrella or take a canopy to the beach. Keep infants in the shade because they are still developing the tanning pigments, known as melanin, that protect skin.
- Wear sunscreen. EWG’s Annual Guide to Sunscreens evaluates the safety and efficacy of SPF-rated products, including sunscreens for recreational use and SPF-rated daily-use moisturizers and lip products. The best ratings are for products that provide broad spectrum protection formulated with ingredients that pose fewer health concerns when absorbed by the body.
Getting outside for some sun is good for you – in moderation. Just ignore the fleeting trends and stick to the tried and tested: Wear sunscreen to protect yourself, and wear it daily.
EWG’s mission in the 20 years we’ve produced the Guide to Sunscreens has been to ensure that whenever you use sunscreen, the SPF products you trust to protect your family are free from ingredients of concern, backed by science and effective at reducing the effects of UV radiation.
