It’s hard to miss the chatter on social media that refers to sunscreen as “toxic.” It, unfortunately, goes hand-in-hand with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s so-called Make America Healthy Again initiative and its obsession with “harmful chemicals” and “toxins.”
People are really afraid of these “damaging toxins” — and who could blame them when there’s so much fear-mongering out there? The MAHA crowd is peddling misinformation on everything from food dyes to seed oils. (For the record, seed oils can be good for your heart, and food dyes are generally safe, especially since they are usually used in small quantities.)
Sunscreen is also a subject of online misinformation, and while there are certain sunscreen ingredients that are closely monitored, using sunscreen is still better than the alternative, which is the risk of skin cancer from harmful sun rays.
“When people ask me which is riskier — sunscreen or the sun — the answer is always the same: the sun, hands down,” Dr. Oma Agbai, a board-certified dermatologist and health sciences associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, Davis, told HuffPost.
Below, experts share their honest thoughts on sunscreen, whether it’s “toxic,” the best sunscreens out there and additional sun protection methods to keep you safe.
