Key TakeawaysPeople on TikTok are making sunscreen from scratch, but experts advise against it. Homemade sunscreens lack the rigorous testing needed to ensure their efficacy and safety.Experts say that using homemade sunscreens can result in inadequate sun protection or even sun sensitivity, such as sunburn-like symptoms or other side effects.Instead of making your own sunscreen, choose a product with an SPF of 30 or higher that offers broad-spectrum protection.

Key Takeaways

People on TikTok are making sunscreen from scratch, but experts advise against it. Homemade sunscreens lack the rigorous testing needed to ensure their efficacy and safety.Experts say that using homemade sunscreens can result in inadequate sun protection or even sun sensitivity, such as sunburn-like symptoms or other side effects.Instead of making your own sunscreen, choose a product with an SPF of 30 or higher that offers broad-spectrum protection.

Slathering onsunscreenbefore heading out on a summer day is one of the best ways to protect your skin from sun damage and ultraviolet radiation, which can lead to skin cancer.

While there are plenty of quality sunscreens on the market, some people on TikTok are suggesting that you can make your own sunscreen from scratch. Social media influencer couple Nara Smith and Lucky Blue Smith are going viral for sharing their homemade sunscreen recipe.

It’s trendy and even thrifty, but does making your sunscreen from scratch actually work? Will it protect your skin and is it safe to use? Here’s what experts have to say.

Common Ingredients Used in Homemade Sunscreens

The first thing to know about making your ownsunscreenis what ingredients are usually in the recipes. Here are a few of the most common ingredients found in homemade sunscreens:

However,Jennifer Gordon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist atWestlake Dermatologyin Austin, Texas, told Verywell that zinc oxide powder is the only activeingredientin sunscreen that provides sun protection. The other ingredients improve the texture, feel, and application of the lotion, but they don’t offer protection.

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Does Making Sunscreen From Scratch Actually Work?

Making your own sunscreen can be a fun “do it yourself (DIY)” project, but there are some facts to keep in mind about its safety and effectiveness.

Not Tested for Safety

Unlike the active ingredients in commercially available sunscreens, the ones in homemade versions have not been studied extensively,Saira George, MD, associate professor of dermatology at theUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told Verywell.

“In the studies we do have—on some natural oils, for example—research shows they provided little to no UV protection,” said George.

Since homemade sunscreens are not subject to the same rigorous testing and regulation as commercial products, theirsun protection factor (SPF)and broad-spectrum protection cannot be verified.

Ingredients May Not Work

SPF is medically determined through testing, and proper mixing equipment and knowledge of the field are necessary to make these products safe and effective. If you try making your own home, you could end up with an ineffective product that won’t provide adequate sun protection, according to Gordon.

“For DIY things like this, you have to know the chemistry of everything you are adding into your product, as somechemicalscan interact with each other and even cancel certain functions,” said Gordon, adding that some DIY sunscreens may involve ingredients that don’t mix well together or might only provide minimal, partial, or no UV protection, based on what ingredients are used and how they are mixed and stored.

A homemade DIY sunscreen “would introduce a lot more variables to the mix,” said George. “DIY sunscreen could possibly lead to people getting severely burned because of a false sense of security that their homemade version was providing them with a level protection it couldn’t.”

Short Shelf Life

Gordon said that shelf life is another key attribute of any product you use—and sunscreen is no different. Homemade sunscreens probably won’t have the special ingredients for preventing bacterial growth and maintaining a product’s effectiveness over time.

Without preservatives, a homemade product may spoil quickly and any protective properties it may have had can degrade, leaving your skin vulnerable to harmful UV rays. Commercial sunscreens, on the other hand, are specifically tested and formulated to ensure a long shelf life—something that the DIY versions cannot guarantee.

“There are probably very few stability and antimicrobial ingredients going into DIY sunscreen, so it could easily be a nidus for infection, and it may separate and not be as effective at a fast rate,” said Gordon.

How Much Sun Protection Do DIY Sunscreens Provide?

There is no way to predict how many hours of sun protection you could potentially get from homemade sunscreen. In fact, Gordon said it would vary based on the ingredients and batching.

“Factors like compatibility of different ingredients and shelf-life are also considerations,” said George. Determining SPF protection would be impossible unless a homemade sunscreen was subjected to the same kind of controlled laboratory testing that is used with commercially available sunscreens.

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Is Making Your Own Sunscreen Safe?

It’s not necessarily unsafe to make your own sunscreen if you have a recipe that works and you’re notsensitive to any of the ingredients. But just because something isn’t outright harmful doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. Remember that homemade sunscreens may lack effectiveness, carry a risk for bacterial growth, and may not last very long.

Mina Amin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at California Dermatology Specialists, told Verywell that some ingredients in homemade sunscreens can actually cause you to have adverse reactions to the sun. For example, Amin cautioned that “coconut oil and jojoba oil can attract the sun and can result in burns.”

Other ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, and cocoa butter are meant to be hydrating but do not have any benefit towards protecting against the sun, according to Amin.

It’s also possible that “some ingredients could even be sun-sensitizing,” said George. This means that instead of protecting your skin, these ingredients could increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, leading to a higher risk of sunburn, irritation, or allergic reactions.

Probably the biggest downside of making your sunscreen is the uncertainty about its effectiveness. It’s easy to mistakenly believe that you’re protected when you really are getting inadequate sun protection, which puts you at risk for sunburns and even skin cancer, according to Amin.

“The issue with homemade sunscreen is that the efficacy is not tested, and it is not FDA-approved,” said Amin. “It can be really harmful if homemade sunscreens are used on the skin and subsequently someone goes in the sun with false assumptions that their skin is protected.”

Experts Don’t Recommend Making Your Own Sunscreen

Without confirming the safety and efficacy of DIY sunscreens, George recommends leaving it to the professionals and choosing commercially available sunscreens that have been thoroughly tested.

“When it comes to sunscreen, there are many great options for people to pick from and it is much easier than it used to be to find one that you like,” said George. For example, many mineral sunscreens, such as ones that are often marketed for sensitive skin, “have very few unnecessary ingredients and provide excellent coverage.”

Experts recommend picking a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that provides broad-spectrum (both UVA and UVB) coverage and is water-resistant. It’s also important to not rely only on sunscreen but use other sun protection measures, too. Steps like covering up, wearing a hat and sunglasses, and avoidingpeak UV hoursfrom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are also key to staying safe in the sun year-round.

What This Means For YouWhen it comes to sun protection, experts don’t recommend making your own sunscreen, which can give you inadequate protection and even cause adverse effects. Instead, use commercially available sunscreens that have been thoroughly tested for safety and effectiveness, and make a habit of other sun protection measures like wearing hats and long-sleeved clothing, and avoiding peak UV hours.

What This Means For You

When it comes to sun protection, experts don’t recommend making your own sunscreen, which can give you inadequate protection and even cause adverse effects. Instead, use commercially available sunscreens that have been thoroughly tested for safety and effectiveness, and make a habit of other sun protection measures like wearing hats and long-sleeved clothing, and avoiding peak UV hours.

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3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Skin Cancer Foundation.All about sunscreen.Gause S, Chauhan A.UV-blocking potential of oils and juices.Int J Cosmet Sci. 2016;38(4):354-63. doi:10.1111/ics.12296Kaur CD, Saraf S.In vitrosun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics.Pharmacognosy Res. 2010;2(1):22-5. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.60586

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Skin Cancer Foundation.All about sunscreen.Gause S, Chauhan A.UV-blocking potential of oils and juices.Int J Cosmet Sci. 2016;38(4):354-63. doi:10.1111/ics.12296Kaur CD, Saraf S.In vitrosun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics.Pharmacognosy Res. 2010;2(1):22-5. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.60586

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Skin Cancer Foundation.All about sunscreen.Gause S, Chauhan A.UV-blocking potential of oils and juices.Int J Cosmet Sci. 2016;38(4):354-63. doi:10.1111/ics.12296Kaur CD, Saraf S.In vitrosun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics.Pharmacognosy Res. 2010;2(1):22-5. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.60586

Skin Cancer Foundation.All about sunscreen.

Gause S, Chauhan A.UV-blocking potential of oils and juices.Int J Cosmet Sci. 2016;38(4):354-63. doi:10.1111/ics.12296

Kaur CD, Saraf S.In vitrosun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics.Pharmacognosy Res. 2010;2(1):22-5. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.60586

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