Fact Check: Sunscreen causes skin cancer? Find the facts here
An instagram video claims that using sunscreen can result in skin cancer
By Neelambaran A Published on 5 March 2025 11:39 AM IST
Claim: Applying sunscreen can cause skin cancers
Fact: The claim is misleading. The FDA research mentioned in the claim was done on rats, not humans.
A video on Instagram is going viral for claiming that applying sunscreen can cause skin cancer. The video refers to a purported 2019 study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that found chemicals in sunscreen in the bloodstream one day after use. They also found high levels of oxybenzone in the body within only two hours of applying sunscreen.
The speaker in the video also claims that the chemicals change the bodyās complex metabolic machinery, negatively impacting the liver and kidney.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim is misleading. The FDA research was done on rats, not humans.
Dr Keerthy Reddy, a senior dermatologist at Skintis Clinic, Hyderabad, confirmed that no credible studies showed that humans can develop skin cancer due to the use of sunscreen.
āSunscreens have chemicals such as avobenzone, octinoxate, oxybenzone and octisalate. There are no studies to prove that these elements enter the bloodstream or make metabolic changes such as inducing cancer,ā she added.
āOxybenzone is even present in several products we use daily, including plastics and lipstick. This doesnāt mean this chemical directly or indirectly causes skin cancer in humans,ā Dr Keerthy said.
Did FDA research show that sunscreen causes cancer?
Contrary to the claim in the video, the FDA has not published any reports stating that the use of sunscreen can cause skin cancer.
Further, the study referred to in the video is about the oral consumption of oxybenzone by rats and not humans. Dr Keerthy said that such interpretations are misleading and can create fear among the public, as studies have found that sunscreen prevents skin cancer.
āThe study based on oral application of such chemicals on rats cannot be considered as proof. The application of such material on skin is very different from oral consumption,ā Dr Keerthy added.
The most common cause for skin cancer is the continuous exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or tanning beds. Melanoma, a type of skin cancer, is caused when melanocytes in the skin change the DNA, while non-melanoma cancer types include basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
