Published on July 17, 2026 10:50 am
This article has been medically reviewed Dr. Ingrid Yang, MD.
Social media may be a hotbed of health misinformation, but recent research suggests the platform may be particularly problematic when it comes to spreading sunscreen myths.
Research study, published in PLoS Digital Healthanalyzed nearly 1,000 TikTok videos with the most views across five of the most popular sunscreen-related hashtags. While about 87 percent of the videos promoted sunscreen use, researchers found that the videos with the most engagement in terms of likes, comments and shares contained misinformation. In other words, even though there are fewer videos containing false claims than videos advocating the use of sunscreen, they are still being viewed more widely. This suggests that more people may be aware of myths about sunscreen. “Sunscreen misinformation on TikTok is of concern,” researchers said in the study.
This research comes just weeks after the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). survey It found that more than 16 million adults said they reduced or stopped using sunscreen because of what they learned online. The AAD notes that 21 percent of Americans look to social media influencers for skin care advice, although nearly half say they have encountered sunscreen misinformation online.
Dermatologists agree that sunscreen myths are a problem. “I encounter these all the time in my office,” Dr. Ife J. rodneyDouble-board-certified dermatologist and founding director of Fulton, Maryland-based dermatology practice, Eternal Dermatology & Aesthetics, explains Outside.
Myths related to sunscreen spread because many people do not like sunscreen from the beginning. Dr. Spencer DunawayA dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “When people don’t like doing something, they’re naturally inclined to believe it or even find information that tells them they don’t need to do it,” he explains. Outside. While Dunaway said that some of these myths have a “basis of truth”, they are often exaggerated or taken out of context, allowing these myths to flourish.
With that in mind, these are the most common myths dermatologists hear — and the truth behind them.
Myth #1: Sunburns are not dangerous
That’s not true, the doctors told me. “Sunburn is your body’s alarm system telling you that a massive amount of DNA damage has occurred,” Dunaway said. “That DNA damage continues to increase throughout your lifetime, and it’s one of the main ways skin cancer develops.”
Dunaway said a sunburn “isn’t the end of the world,” but they tend to worsen over time. A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention found that young white women who had five or more severe sunburns between the ages of 15 and 20 had an 80 percent higher risk of developing melanoma. The most serious type of skin cancer. “Although individual sunburns probably won’t kill you, cumulatively, they increase your risk of skin cancer,” Rodney said. (FYI: This study was conducted exclusively on white women. The association between sunburn and melanoma risk in people with darker skin is not well established, and UV-driven risk factors vary significantly by skin type).
Myth #2: Sunscreen causes cancer
This is definitely a lie. “There have been no studies of an increase in skin cancer associated with sunscreen use,” he said. Dr. Ida OrengoA dermatologist and medical director for the Department of Dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine.
Rodney agrees. “Sunscreens have been tested extensively for decades,” he said. “They do exactly the opposite of being carcinogenic – they help prevent skin cancer.”
Dunaway has heard many arguments in support of this myth. One is that melanoma rates have increased even as sunscreen use has increased. But he points out that melanoma typically takes decades to develop due to UV exposure. “A diagnosis of melanoma in a 65-year-old today may reflect sun exposure in the 1980s or 1990s, long before sunscreen use became as common as it is today,” he said. “At the same time, we have become much better at detecting melanoma, and biopsy rates have increased significantly, so we are finding cancers today that might not have been diagnosed years ago.”
One scientific review A study commonly cited by skeptics found that people who regularly used sunscreen had a slightly higher risk of melanoma. However, researchers noted that there was an association between melanoma and sunscreen use. rejected Since the 1980s. By the early 1990s, this link was “no longer statistically significant.”
“The problem is that the people who need to use sunscreen are already at the highest risk of getting skin cancer,” Dunaway said. “Sunscreen users tend to have fairer skin, burn more easily, and spend a lot of time at the beach or pool. Studies that take these differences into account show that sunscreen is actually protective.”
Dunaway has also expressed concern that chemical sunscreen ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream and may be carcinogenic. “There is some truth in the fact that some older chemical UV filters can reach detectable levels in the blood after repeated application,” he said. “However, ‘detectable’ does not mean ‘dangerous’ and these ingredients have not been shown to cause cancer in humans.” (He also notes that more modern sunscreen technology, including the recently approved sunscreen ingredient bemotrizinol, causes minimal absorption into the bloodstream. “Mineral sunscreens work well and largely avoid concerns about systemic absorption,” Dunaway said.
Myth #3: Sunscreen contains microplastics
It’s a little complicated. Dunaway calls these claims “technically true”, but said the reality is complicated. “Many daily facial sunscreens, especially those made by cosmetic companies, contain synthetic polymers that improve the way the product feels and spreads on the skin,” she said. They contain ingredients like Acrylate Copolymer (which helps prevent the product ingredients from separating), dimethicone (which helps the product slide onto the skin more easily), and polyethylene (a plastic used in packaging).
“What’s often left out of the conversation is that these ingredients are not unique to sunscreens,” Dunaway said. “They are found in moisturizers, makeup, and many other skin care products throughout the cosmetic industry.”
Dunaway also emphasizes that the synthetic polymers used in sunscreens are “too large” to be absorbed through intact skin. “Even very small ‘nanoplastics’ have been shown to persist in the outermost layers of the skin without reaching viable tissues,” he said. Still, there are plenty of mineral-based “clean label” sunscreens available that don’t rely on these polymers, Dunaway said.
Myth #4: Using sunscreen can kill you
You’re more likely to accidentally ingest small amounts of sunscreen, such as when you lick your lips or when sweat gets in your mouth, Orengo said. “It is not harmful,” he said.
But both mineral and chemical sunscreens are considered non-toxic, Dunaway said. “An adult would need enormous amounts of sunscreen to reach toxic levels,” he said. “Even for a small child, you would have to take several full tubes of chemical sunscreen before you can expect the possibility of toxicity.”
Myth #5: Sunscreen causes vitamin D deficiency
This is another slightly complicated matter. Broad-spectrum sunscreen blocks UVB radiation, Dunaway said, and UVB is the wavelength responsible for helping the skin produce vitamin D. “This does not mean that in the real world, sunscreen use causes vitamin D deficiency,” he said. “Surprisingly little sunlight is actually required to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.”
Required amount of sun exposure Maintaining adequate vitamin D varies widelyRanging from as little as 5 minutes in the summer to more than 45 minutes in the winter, depending on latitude, season, time of day, skin tone, and how much skin is exposed.
An important note: The science on how much wearing sunscreen impairs vitamin D absorption is constantly evolving. A 2025 Scientific review suggests Sunscreen use may interfere with vitamin D synthesis, resulting in low vitamin D levels in the body. However, researchers in this review say that “further research is necessary to determine broader health implications and guide public health recommendations.” A 2025 study found evidence that using high-SPF sunscreen may affect how much vitamin D the body absorbs from the sun. The researchers noted that people who wear high-SPF sunscreen, which this study defines as SPF 50 or higher, may need to make sure they get vitamin D through supplementation.
Myth #6: People with darker skin don’t need sunscreen
“That’s the biggest myth,” Rodney said. “Sun exposure can cause skin cancer, fine lines and wrinkles for everyone, including dark-skinned people.” While darker skin offers more natural protection against UV damage, Dunaway said less exposure doesn’t mean zero risk.
The picture varies depending on skin color: melanoma most common in people with darker skin appears on the palms, soles and nails and is not tied to UV, so awareness and early detection are as important as sunscreen.
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