What's the deal with DIY Sunscreen

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Coconut oil, olive oil, carrot juices and citrus oils. These sound like the ingredients for a healthy and delicious salad dressing but many social media influencers recommend these ingredients for DIY sunscreen.

Did you know the FDA regulates sunscreen? Why is that? The answer is that sunscreen products make medical claims to protect the skin from sunburn, photodamage, and skin cancer. Because of that sunscreens are regulated and tested for safety and efficacy.

Dr. Lani Doser says “There are so many fun posts on IG and Pinterest on how to DIY almost anything. When it comes to choosing décor or drawing a cat-eye, I am all for it. But lately, I have been seeing posts on DIY sunscreen and with that I would advise caution.”

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“I would strongly recommend not risking your skin to future skin cancer, hyperpigmentation or severe sunburn by using homemade sunscreen products.”
Dr. Doser

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Many of the ingredients recommended in DIY sunscreen have some natural UVB blocking properties (maximum of SPF 2) but do not provide coverage for UVA protection. UVB rays make up a maximum 20% of the sun’s rays and are associated with causing burning and skin cancer. UVA rays compose up to 95% of the sun’s rays and cause photoaging and skin cancer. 

The ingredients in DIY sunscreens are not tested for efficacy against sustained heat, photostability, and water resistance. “While I love a good sugar scrub recipe or a fun hair mask (though I’d rather eat my avocado – LOL),” Dr. Doser states emphatically,  “I would strongly recommend not risking your skin to future skin cancer, hyperpigmentation or severe sunburn by using homemade sunscreen products.”