The debunked claim that sunscreen causes cancer may have been around for decades, but TikTok and social media have breathed new life into it and introduced the conspiracy theory to a new audience.

On TikTok, influencers — often with large and health-conscious audiences — are falsely informing their audiences to forego sunscreen because it can cause cancer, block vitamin D from the human body and cause other negative side-effects.

Craig Sinclair, head of prevention at the Cancer Council Victoria, told The New Daily that the evidence that sunscreen is both safe and prevents skin cancer is incredibly strong.

“What’s really concerning is that as the evidence grows about the effect of sunscreen on preventing melanoma and skin cancer, more broadly that evidence grows stronger and stronger, the unfortunate situation is that the trust in sunscreen as a product that is safe has diminished,” he said.

“Sunscreen has been on the market now for 30 years and we’ve learned a lot about the contribution it has made to protecting our skin.”

He said sunscreen is treated as a pharmaceutical product and not a cosmetic one like in other countries.

“There is a really tight regime that is administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration,” he said.

“That gives us every reason to be confident that the ingredients found in sunscreen are safe.”

Falsehoods

It isn’t a surprise that falsehoods run rampant online to anyone who regularly uses the internet, but claims that people aren’t receiving the needed levels of vitamin D if they use sunscreen or that its use may introduce harmful chemicals to the body can be damaging in a country with so much exposure.

Sinclair said that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and has the highest burden on the health system in Australia.

“Two out of three Australians, at some point in their life, are likely to be treated for some form of skin cancer,” he said.

“The ones we are most worried about are melanomas as they can be deadly if left untreated because they metastasise and cause other cancers.”

Two-thirds of Australians will experience a form of skin cancer in their lifetime. Photo: Getty

He said that sunscreen is best used with other forms of protection like shade and protective clothing.

“We have no evidence that regular use of sunscreen diminishes people’s levels of Vitamin D,” he said.

“To get the required exposure to the sun to maintain our vitamin D levels, particularly over the summer months, you get that in a matter of minutes.”

Old conspiracy

Although the cancer-causing claim may predate it, the first time many people would have heard — either by reading or through the grapevine — about the false risks was likely when Kevin Trudeau’s 2005 book Natural Cures They Don’t Want You to Know hit number one on the New York Times best sellers list.

Despite the book being fraudulent and subject to multiple court battles, many of the claims made within it have managed to stick around.

Sinclair said Australia has been fortunate that decades of campaigns have made people aware of the dangers of staying out in the sun, and the benefits that sunscreen provides.

“In summer, if you’re out in the middle of the day, the first signs of sunburn will occur in less than 15 minutes,” he said.

“This goes to show the intensity of the sun that we experience in this country.”