Today I’m putting on my mean girl hat. As we approach the end of summer, I thought I’d post a reminder of just how important sunscreen can be to the health of your skin.
I recently came across a viral video of a young woman slicing a watermelon and discussing the benefits of using watermelon as a natural sunscreen. My jaw dropped as she cheerfully suggested that the lycopene in watermelon can help protect the skin against sun damage.
This, of course, isn’t true. While watermelon is high in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, it doesn’t work as a sunscreen. Lycopene isn’t a UV filter, and it doesn’t block UV rays from hitting the skin, which is what sunscreens do.
While I hesitate to single anyone out, the Internet is overflowing with this kind of content. Everyone, from skincare enthusiasts to soccer moms, is happily sharing their hot takes on health and wellness, often without the knowledge to support their claims. So, while Watermelon Woman isn’t the only one posting potentially dangerous info, it highlights a bigger problem I see in skincare overall: people looking for any reason to skip wearing real sunscreen.
“Natural Alternatives” to Sunscreen
With influencers continuing to demonize sunscreen, there has been a surge of interest in sunscreen alternatives. From coconut oil to tomato paste, the list of “natural” options is quite extensive. While some plant oils may provide limited benefits, none of these alternatives have been proven to offer sufficient protection against the sun.
For example, coconut oil contains a low SPF of around 4 to 7. It offers minimal UVA protection, which is crucial for preventing skin aging and damage. Likewise, olive oil has an SPF of 8, which can only protect against 20 percent of UV rays. For comparison, physical sunscreens, such as those containing zinc or titanium, with an SPF of 30, can block up to 97 percent of UV radiation.
Final Thoughts
Unprotected sun exposure can damage the skin, cause premature aging, and contribute to the development of cancer, making sunscreen an essential part of any healthy skincare routine, regardless of the weather, season, or your skin tone.
While the safety of some sunscreen ingredients has been called into question, dermatologists and other skincare experts still agree that sunscreen, be it chemical or physical, is safe and effective when used as directed.