Experts Warn Against Viral Trend of Homemade Sunscreen on TikTok

A dermatologist has urged people not to make their own sunscreen following a string of tutorials posted online.

Famed influencer Nara Smith (@naraazizasmith) turned to TikTok last week with a video showing her husband making sunscreen “from scratch”.

The creator, who boasts 8.1 million followers for frequently sharing recipes, told viewers: “We’ve been spending a lot of time outside by the pool, and I realised we ran out of sunscreen.”

Rather than heading out to stock up on SPF, her husband Lucky Blue Smith emptied the kitchen cupboards to DIY it.

“We all burn pretty easily so we went with something with a little more SPF,” she suggested.

Fellow TikTokers were left scratching their heads, with one writing: “Okay now they playing with us. HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN???”

“My cosmetic chemist heart is crying,” another added, while a third claimed: “Yall are going to FRY this summer with this concoction.”

Meanwhile, experts chimed in on the action with one dermatologist stitching the clip with her reaction and advice.

Dr. Aamna Adel (@aamnaadel) was stunned at the idea of homemade sunscreen circulating online “as if it’s just as simple as baking a crumble cookie”.

“Every sunscreen on the market undergoes rigorous testing, and that’s to make sure that it’s actually protecting you from UV and most importantly, it’s stopping you from burning,” Dr. Adel explained.

“If you’re making a DIY sunscreen at home, you literally have no idea how much protection it’s giving you,” she added, disclaiming that DIY sunscreens can have SPF ratings of anywhere between two to 10 per cent.

The doctor went on to claim that “even one episode of blistering sunburn doubles your chance at getting melanoma”.

Source: various sources