A new study reveals that while the majority of TikTok videos about sunscreen promote its use, content spreading misinformation receives disproportionately high levels of audience interaction, including likes, comments, and shares. Researchers warn that this trend could increase long-term health risks such as skin cancer.
Study Analyzes 1,000 TikTok Videos
The study, titled “Sunscreen is overwhelmingly promoted on TikTok, but content with misinformation exhibits proportionally high levels of audience interaction,” reviewed approximately 1,000 TikTok videos from 2024 that used the most popular hashtags related to sunscreen products and use. Researchers categorized the videos as promoting sunscreen, critiquing it, or containing mixed messages.
According to the study, around 87% of the videos promoted sunscreen use, while 27% emphasized the importance of applying sufficient sunscreen. However, videos critical of sunscreen received significantly more comments, likes, and shares compared to those that were positive, despite similar view counts.
Misleading Claims and Viral Potential
The study noted that misleading and contrarian ideas—such as claims that sunscreen is toxic, contains carcinogens, that sun exposure is not dangerous, or that sunscreen prevents tanning—incorporate novelty, shock value, and conspiratorial components that trigger emotions and increase viral potential. Alessandro Marcon, a researcher at the University of Alberta’s Health Law Institute and co-author of the study, told The Washington Post, “There’s audiences that are very attracted to this information.”
Dermatologists are concerned about the spread of such misinformation. Adam Friedman, a professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, who was not involved in the study, told the Post that skipping sunscreen puts individuals at high risk for skin cancer. He warned that alternative proposals promoted on social media, such as tanning without protection or using products like beef tallow, are harmful and not rooted in science.
Health Risks and Expert Warnings
Sunscreen protects the skin by absorbing or reflecting ultraviolet rays. Friedman emphasized that while sun exposure can help the body produce vitamin D, foregoing sunscreen protection and risking skin cancer is far more dangerous. “You are purposefully harming yourself,” he said.
Briony Swire-Thompson, an assistant professor at Northeastern University and director of its Psychology of Misinformation Lab, told the Post it was encouraging that the majority of TikTok videos did not contain misinformation and promoted sunscreen. She noted that the study’s findings align with past research showing users are more likely to engage with misinformation about public health. However, she cautioned that the research does not conclude that everyone who commented, shared, or engaged with the videos necessarily believed the misinformation. The study did not analyze the content of the comments.
TikTok’s Response and Regulatory Context
TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit health-related misinformation, and the platform partners with independent fact-checkers to identify and remove such content, according to the Post. Friedman added that combating misinformation about sunscreen and skin cancer is especially important after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a new chemical, bemotrizinol, to the list of permitted active ingredients in sunscreen in June 2026. Bemotrizinol more effectively blocks ultraviolet rays and has long been used in other countries, but it was not approved for use in the U.S. for decades.
The study highlights the challenge of balancing free expression with public health on social media platforms, as misleading content continues to resonate with audiences despite efforts to curb it.
