Skin experts warn against following TikTok influencer’s ‘dangerous’ sunscreen hack

One TikTok influencer has received a considerable amount of fame after revealing her family’s recipe for homemade sunscreen before heading out to the beach. While the recipe boasts many of the same ingredients Brits can find on their store-bought sunscreen, like shea butter, beeswax and zinc oxide, the “easy recipe” is being slammed by experts.

Skincare experts have branded the DIY sunscreen misleading and “dangerous” after nearly 19 million people watched the viral clip. Founder of Tropic Skincare, Susie Ma warned: “Suncream is one of the most important products we use on our face and bodies as it protects us from sunburn, skin ageing and, most importantly, skin cancer.

“When you make it at home, there is no way to know its SPF level, or even if it has one, leaving you unprotected when you’re out in the sun.” The unregulated nature of at-home sunscreen has been a major cause for concern among experts particularly as online searches for sunscreen recipes have risen drastically over the last year.

Kavitha Murugesan, Head of Product Innovation at Tropic Skincare added: “When you make a product at home, it’s impossible that you will have access to the same level of testing, meaning you never know what level of skin protection the product actually contains.

“This is especially dangerous when it comes to sunscreen as you may take risks believing you are protected (e.g. staying in sunlight for long periods of time) when you are in fact not.”

She advised that there are a number of natural sunscreen alternatives people can turn to if they aren’t keen on the big brand names. Kavitha urged people to look for sunscreen products that offer “broad spectrum” protection which provides protection for both UVA and UVB rays, as well as keeping an eye out for ingredients like Vitamin E and Green Algae Extract which benefits the skin in other ways while also protecting it.