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Homemade sun cream TikTok trend – genius or dangerous?

23.7.2024

Translation: Elicia Payne

Nara Smith demonstrates it and hundreds of thousands copy her. Sun cream has made it as a current DIY trend, putting imitators at risk. This is what dermotologist Uwe Schwichtenberg has to say about homemade sun cream.

Making things for yourself is definitely a trend at the moment. TikTok, Insta and the like are full of (self-proclaimed) DIY pros and some of them reach the million-follower mark more than once. Especially influencer Nara Smith, who makes everything herself – from cornflakes and toothpaste to sun cream. All while looking like she’d been styled by a whole armada of stylists. Of course, the husband joins in with homemade concoctions too, wearing his shirt open while he does it. Nara always handles everything in a relaxed and easy manner – wearing a permanent smile on her made up face, of course.

So believable! But what these supposed super-mum housewives (known as tradwives) do to society and the minds of their often young viewers with their portrayals of outdated role models is a subject for its own article entirely. Today we’ll be looking at a very specific, dangerous example:

DIY – or in this case, don’t!

The latest craze: mixing your own sun cream. In one of her latest videos, Lucky Blue Smith, the influencer’s husband, uses coconut, shea and cocoa butter, beeswax, oil and zinc oxide to make his own sunscreen. And the fans copy him. The problem? There’s one crucial factor missing from the solution: UV protection.

Although the formula contains zinc oxide as physical sun protection, this isn’t enough to protect the skin in the UVA range. Dermatologist Uwe Schwichtenberg explains it to me like this: «If you make your own sun cream, you’re always in the dark about the actual sun protection factor and are lulled into a false sense of security.» There’s a good reason why major manufacturers keep their formulas for the chemical substances in UV protection secret. Achieving a consistent sun protection factor is extremely difficult, even for professionals. The values constantly have to be checked empirically. You can’t simply mix it up in a TikTok DIY lab. Especially as the main ingredient, UV protection, is missing anyway.

You have to be aware that you won’t achieve the full effect. It won’t reach the same standard of high-quality sun creams.

Dermatologist Dr Uwe Schwichtenberg

In addition to the lack of UV protection, there’s also an allergy risk. Schwichtenberg, who is also an allergist, notices another problem with the TikTok recipe: the beeswax it contains could potentially cause allergies. If you have an allergic reaction to this substance, the self-mixed cream may even do you harm.

Advice from experts: what to look out for when purchasing sun creams

Making sun protection yourself with no experience is therefore clearly not a good idea. It’s impossible to achieve reliable UV protection as the basic chemical substances required for this aren’t commercially available – they’re protected by trade marks. It’s also more expensive than buying a viable product. Schwichtenberg sums up nicely what you need to be aware of when purchasing sun cream:

It has to have a sufficiently high sun protection factor. This refers to UVB radiation, which can cause sunburn through direct exposure.
Pay attention to the composition of the skincare ingredients, which should be adapted to your skin type. For skin that’s rich in sebaceous glands, there are special sun creams to prevent the skin from becoming oily. Otherwise thick sun protection cream can put you at a risk of developing acne.
The sun protection factor stated on sun creams only refers to UVB radiation. But, the sun also radiates in the UVA range which can indirectly cause skin cancer through the formation of free radicals. So make sure you look for the small UVA seal on the packaging. This is the only indicator that the cream also protects against UVA radiation.

Header image: Retha Ferguson/Pexels

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Anna Sandner

Senior Editor

Anna.Sandner@galaxus.de

Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.

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