Do it yourself (DIY) is a fashion that does not lose speed: for ecological and/or economic reasons, many of us make our own soaps, laundry detergent, cleaning products, cosmetics, our infusions…
On some specialized websites, there are also “recipes” for making your own sunscreen. Formulated with shea butter, coconut oil, carrot oil, essential oils, vitamins, zinc oxide…, these “homemade” sunscreens are not complicated to make. But are they really effective?
Ineffective and potentially dangerous sunscreens
No, answer our colleagues from The Conversation, who tested 15 DIY sunscreen recipes available on the internet. First thing to know: 3 of the 15 products tested did not contain any sunscreen and therefore absolutely did not protect against UV rays. The remaining 12 products had a sun protection factor of less than 6, the minimum protection threshold in Europe. Insufficient !
In addition, some “homemade” sunscreens contained more than 25% zinc oxide, a concentration potentially dangerous to health. Not to mention that some essential oils can, when used on the skin, be harmful to health; these include essential oils of grapefruit, sweet orange or even lemon.
Conclusion ? It is better to invest in a “classic” sunscreen, to be bought preferably in pharmacies. Don’t forget to choose a protection index adapted to your phototype (i.e. the color of your skin and your hair, and your tolerance to the sun): if in doubt, ask your your pharmacist!
Read also :
- Skin cancer: what is this area that we systematically forget to protect when it is at risk?
- Can you really get sunburned behind glass?
- Is it possible to get sunburned under an umbrella?
