Is Homemade Sunscreen Safe and Effective? What Doctors Want You to Know
By By Brian Mastroianni. Medically Reviewed by Jacquelyn Dosal, MD,
2024-08-27
Cooking up some homemade sunscreen might look like a fun DIY project, but it might not be worth your time. Anna Tretiak/iStock; Everyday Health
The model-turned influencer Nara Smith went viral on TikTok with a how-to video on creating homemade sunscreen, mixing common household ingredients like beeswax, coconut oil , jojoba oil, and shea and cocoa butter in a bowl placed over a pot of boiling water. Smith and her husband - another model and social media star named Lucky Blue Smith - suggest that all you need to do to craft DIY sunscreen is to put zinc oxide powder in this concoction, place it in the fridge and, voilà, you have sunscreen ready for the beach.
While it sounds simple, there's a big problem here. Dermatologists say this and similar at-home recipes for sunscreen that are currently circulating online are not ideal and most likely won't protect you from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Given that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, the importance of sunscreen and other sun protection methods is clear. To keep your skin safe and protected, experts advise looking for vetted options rather than following the latest viral homemade sunscreen trends.
What's in Homemade Sunscreen?
The Smiths are far from the only influencers sharing information on DIY sunscreens online. A quick search for "homemade natural sunscreen" on TikTok yields countless posts from influencers all over the world sharing their amateur sunscreen recipes. All these posts are variations on the same theme - people taking ingredients often found in many kitchens to try to create their own versions of sunscreens you'd find at the local supermarket or drugstore.
"While making sunscreen at home may be doable, it's not a great idea for several reasons," says Teo Soleymani, MD , a double board-certified dermatologist and Mohs micrographic surgeon based in Pasadena, California. He notes that because commercial sunscreens are products that are used to prevent disease - namely sunburns and skin cancer - they are considered to be over-the-counter drugs and are highly regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "As such, the active ingredients in sunscreen, which are the actual chemicals that either block or absorb the UV, have been studied at very specific concentrations to determine their effectiveness and durability," says Dr. Soleymani.
According to Soleymani, unless you were to have an elaborate chemistry lab at home, there really is no good or high-quality way to make sure that the formulations and concentrations of the active ingredients in your homemade sunscreens are actually effective.
Another problem is that some ingredients in homemade sunscreens may not be right for every type of skin. For instance, one ingredient commonly referenced for DIY sunscreen is tallow , or a rendered type of mutton suet or beef.
Nina Botto, MD , an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California in San Francisco, says that while animal fat like this can effectively hydrate skin, she absolutely would not recommend putting beef tallow on your face if you have acne because it clogs pores and makes acne worse. "Also, if you don't want to use animal products, tallow wouldn't be a good choice," says Dr. Botto. "I think that skin care has some nuance to it - it's not one size fits all, and you can't say that everybody is going to do great with beef tallow."
Soleymani also points out that tallow may be an especially problematic ingredient for homemade sunscreen. "It's a form of fat, which will melt and increase the sun's refractive index, basically acting as cooking oil on your face, which will increase your burn risk," he says.
Bottom line: Creating homemade sunscreen to achieve a more "natural" product may leave you vulnerable to harmful sunburns and sun damage and increase your risk of skin cancer down the line.
Is Homemade Sunscreen Safe?
One study evaluated 15 homemade sunscreen recipes on the internet and concluded that these concoctions were "very dangerous," since most didn't have an adequate level of sun protection and some didn't contain any at all. Another study searched for posts on homemade sunscreen recipes found on Pinterest and found that the vast majority of the posts - more than 95 percent - "positively portrayed" the effectiveness of these at-home sunscreen solutions, while 68.3 percent of the posts recommended recipes for DIY sunscreens that offered inadequate UV protection.
Then there's the fact that DIY sunscreens lack an expiration date and may have a short shelf life. "When products go bad [they can become] contaminated with various microorganisms," says Botto.
And, adds Botto, many of the online homemade sunscreens contain beeswax, which is an ingredient that may cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Botto believes that while consumers are fairly savvy, there is unfortunately "a lot of noise to wade through" when it comes to skin-care-themed social media, which has grown substantially since the pandemic. "There is a lot out there, and it's confusing to be a consumer," she says. "I'm always saying to my colleagues that there need to be more dermatologists in social media who are giving informed, data-driven, science-backed information."
Is Homemade Sunscreen Effective?
Sun protection factor, or SPF , is defined as a measure of exactly how much UV radiation is needed to cause a sunburn on skin protected by sunscreen compared with how much solar energy is needed to produce a sunburn on unprotected skin. (So an SPF of 30 means it would take you 30 times longer to burn with the sunscreen on than without any sun protection.)
Because many of these homemade sunscreens might not contain any SPF protection at all, both Soleymani and Botto stress that it's best practice to go for the professionally made options. They recommend choosing one with an SPF of 30 or greater for optimal sun protection.
How to Choose a Better Sunscreen
When it comes to choosing a commercially manufactured sunscreen , Soleymani recommends ones that are mineral-based, containing zinc and zinc with titanium because they are "more effective in providing true broad-spectrum coverage and aren't associated with the controversies related to chemical sunscreens."
For people who have sensitive skin or a condition like eczema, sometimes it's recommended that they choose mineral sunscreens because they are less irritating and contain fewer allergens.
Ultimately, say Botto and Soleyamani, your personal preference will determine which sunscreen is right for you. That said, here are the important features to look for when choosing a sunscreen:
Look for a product that offers broad-spectrum protection, against both UVA and UVB rays.
Choose one that has an SPF of 30 or higher.
Search for a label that says it's certified by either the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) or the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Opt for a sunscreen that's "non comedogenic," which means it won't clog pores.
The Takeaway
When it comes to advice that can impact your health, such as DIY skin-care products, a good rule of thumb is to listen to experts and do your own research before following advice you see on social media, no matter how many follows and shares a post might get. That especially goes for homemade sunscreens, which are unlikely to give you the sun protection you need to keep you safe from harmful UV rays.
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Sources
Bennett DD. American Academy of Dermatology Warns That Homemade Sunscreens Are Not Proven to Be Effective and May Leave Users Vulnerable to Skin Cancer. American Academy of Dermatology Association . July 2, 2024.
Jacquelyn Dosal, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Skin Associates of South Florida in Coral Gables. She practices general, medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology.
Dr. Dosal provides compassionate care to all her patients, listening to their concerns and creating a treatment plan with each patient's priorities and real life in mind.
She is a member of the voluntary faculty at the University of Miami.
Brian is a New York City–based science and health journalist. Whether interviewing newsmakers - from Buzz Aldrin, Katie Couric, and Dr. Anthony Fauci to Wendy Williams and the cast of Queer Eye - and tech experts about the latest innovations, or leading medical researchers, he's comfortable chatting with just about anyone.
Brian's work has been published by The Atlantic , The Paris Review , The New York Times For Kids , CBS News, The TODAY Show, Barron's PENTA, Engadget, Healthline, and more. He's also hosted podcasts - On Topic, Off Script with Brian Mastroianni as well as Re:solve Talks , from Re:solve Global Health.
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