DIY health and beauty products are reported to be on the rise, as many consumers feel that they can't trust store-bought, manufactured products but it will not come as news to hear that using an untested sunscreen with no proven SPF could increase the risk of harmful sun damage.
However; this sudden trend for 'do it yourself' is said to have been sparked by certain health publications claiming store-bought sunscreens could potentially contain harmful toxins.
Alternative health bloggers have been advising people to use coconut oil and beeswax to 'protect their skin because shop-bought sunscreen has toxic ingredients'.
Some advocates have even claimed that ingredients such as carrot and red raspberry seed oil have a sun-protecting SPF of up to 50, a claim that has since been dismissed as ‘absolute nonsense’ by skin experts.
Dangerous ground
According to Dr. Mitchel Goldman, director of Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, medical knowledge has advanced to the point where the public can trust that sunscreens are protecting from harm, not causing further harm.
"In the past, sunscreens may have focused only on one type of UV ray, but most of today's sunscreens protect against both types," he says.
In the European Union, law dictates that sunscreen formulations have to be safe to use and are tested to check they give the protection claimed on the bottle.
Cosmetics firms have to carry out substantial testing before they can assign an SPF value to a product.
EU regulation dictates that each active ingredient has to be shown to remain stable when it mixes with other ingredients, not degrade over time, and have a consistent level throughout the cream.