Skincare experts and dermatologists always recommend incorporating sunscreen into our daily skincare regimen. If you are sunbathing or just going out to buy something, you should always apply this sun-protecting cream, which mostly comes in a thick consistency, and prevent skin cancer.
However, some claim that while sunscreen is necessary to protect yourself from skin cancer, it could give you other cancers due to its chemical ingredients.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sunscreen contains active ingredients that offer broad-spectrum protection against the UVA and UVB rays that can cause significant damage to your skin if exposed for a long time. There are two varieties: physical and chemical sunscreens.
The mineral-based one, known as physical, has two main active ingredients: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Chemical ones don’t contain these two barriers and usually have a mix of other active ingredients.
According to a 2020 randomized clinical trial of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), various chemical sunscreens contain six active ingredients: avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate. FDA press officer Cherie Duvall-Jones told Fortune, “The concern isn’t about them being chemical sunscreens per se, but about the fact that they are absorbed through the skin.”
“This means we need to know what these absorbed sunscreen ingredients do when they get in the human body. For example, can they lead to cancer or cause developmental or reproductive problems if people use sunscreens every day?”
Emily Spilman, a safety scientist with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), shares similar concerns, if not more. “Some [active ingredients] are linked to skin allergies and immunotoxicity. Some of them are also linked to more concerning impacts like hormone disruption, endocrine disruption,” she pointed out.
She is particularly concerned about octinoxate and oxybenzone in chemical sunscreens as they could be linked to the disruption of the endocrine system, which creates and releases hormones into the body.
We were exposed to the sun for hundreds of thousands of years and were doing just fine until sunscreen was invented in 1938. Since then, melanoma rates began to skyrocket in the 1950s, yet people blame the sun rather than the toxic chemicals in sunscreen.
These not only bake… pic.twitter.com/6rc9JcgiXw
— Dr. Simon Goddek (@goddeketal) January 24, 2024
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences states that endocrine disruptors could lead to some health problems, including some cancers. An EWG spokesperson said, “Four studies published in 2020 support previous findings that oxybenzone can act as an endocrine disruptor and may increase the risk of breast cancer and endometriosis.”
While it’s not definitive that all endocrine disruptors would cause cancer, some common “contaminants” in the sunscreen could be linked to carcinogenicity, which could further be associated with cancer.
In 2019, the FDA requested manufacturers to send across the data about chemicals such as oxybenzone and octocrylene, which are often contaminated with benzophenone. However, Dr. Theresa Michele from the FDA’s Office of Non-prescription Drugs says that dates were never submitted.
Either way, the next obvious question is which sunscreen is safe to use. “Trying to avoid endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be difficult as a consumer,” says Spilman. However, she emphasizes that the safest bet should be mineral-based sunscreens with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Additionally, she recommends avoiding using spray sunscreens that contain aerosol and could pose a further health threat.
Think all sunscreens are the same? Think again.
In this clip, Dr. Teo Soleymani gives spray sunscreens an “F” on his tier ranking system—even the mineral ones.
So what does he recommend? Mineral sunscreen lotions and physical barriers like UPF clothing both get a high grade on… pic.twitter.com/VSF1rD0tLH
— Dhru Purohit (@dhrupurohit) April 3, 2025
Emily also advises against using sunscreen with “fragrances” on their label. “That term can really hide the mixture of potentially harmful chemicals behind it,” she says. The bottom line is you shouldn’t skip sunscreen out of fear; rather, use the ones that are safe for both your skin and health.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends looking for sunscreens with broad-spectrum protection (both against UVA and UVB), SPF 30 or higher, and water resistance. They also advise reapplying sunscreen every two hours or so when outside, especially if you are doing any activity that involves sweating.
