As a black woman, I’ve been told time and time again that I don’t need to wear sunscreen – in fact, I’ve even been told that black people living in the UK are often deficient in Vitamin D (which the body produces through exposure to sunlight) and so their skin needs to soak up the sun’s rays.
I remember as a child, my mother slathering me in sunscreen as we sat on the beach visiting my family in Jamaica, but no matter how warm it got in the UK, sunscreen remained a non-essential part of life. Fast forward to today, and SPF is still not part of many Black people’s lives. Even more worrying, there’s a new mindset that’s leading us to avoid using SPF altogether.
Recent statistics show that skin cancer is on the rise, and while black people have fewer cases overall, they are more likely to die from skin cancer (this is because the disease is harder to detect and may not be discovered until later in life). So, with the number of cases on the rise, why is there a growing anti-sunscreen movement online?
More melanin means less sunscreen?
There are loads of reasons why darker-skinned people forget to wear sunscreen. The more melanin in your skin, the less likely you are to burn in the sun than lighter-skinned people. Similarly, you’re less likely to develop freckles and age spots that are common in older skin, making it easier to counteract the sun’s effects. But just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Simply put, darker skin alone isn’t enough to ward off the sun’s effects. “While melanin does offer some protection, it’s not enough to prevent all the damage caused by UV rays, including skin cancer, premature aging, and pigmentation,” says Esther Orr, cosmetic chemist and certified aesthetician.
It’s also worth noting that sunscreens haven’t always been for black skin. Only more recently have they been formulated to not leave the skin looking grey or dull. And when you’re outside the manufacturing and marketing process of a product category, it’s easy to assume they won’t work for you. “For many years, sunscreens haven’t been properly formulated for black skin, often leaving them too white to be cosmetically acceptable,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Mary Sommerlad. Historically, this has led to low uptake, “exacerbated by the fact that sunscreen manufacturers have shown little interest in promoting or developing inclusive sunscreens,” she says. This is a sentiment echoed by Orr, who uses her Instagram account to show the true, and often disappointing, finish of sunscreens that are still frequently hailed as “invisible.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about chemical sunscreens, so mineral sunscreens are recommended as the ‘best’ option for black consumers,” Orr says. “Mineral sunscreens essentially always leave a white residue, which leads to the issues I mentioned earlier. Cultural and community influences also play a role: if sunscreen use isn’t common among peers and family, individuals are less likely to adopt it themselves. For most of my adult life, what kept me from using sunscreen was the collective, anxious narrative that ‘we don’t need sunscreen.’
Sommerrad and Diya Ayodele, founder of the Black Skin Directory and author of Black Skin, agree that it’s important to remember that black is an identity, not a skin color. As such, the range of multiracial people who identify as black is wider than ever, and generalizations may not be helpful. “It’s very possible that someone who is mixed race but identifies as black inherited a predisposition to skin cancer from a grandmother like English Rose,” Ayodele points out.
Give me some Vitamin D
Our melanin-rich bodies thrive in warmer, sunnier climates than the UK – our ancestors lived in sunny climates where it wasn’t so cold that you had to shiver, so life in the cold, wetter northern hemisphere countries just wasn’t natural for our bodies.
As a result, many black Britons are vitamin D deficient, but not wearing sunscreen in the UK doesn’t mean you’ll have a sudden increase in vitamin D; your skin just won’t be protected from UV damage. “People who read that sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D imagine that if you block sunlight from penetrating the skin, not enough UVB is produced,” points out Dr Sophie Shotter. “In a country like the UK, UVB levels are only high enough to stimulate vitamin D production from May to September, and even in those months, only people who spend a very long time outdoors are able to produce enough vitamin D.” For this reason, she recommends taking at least 3000U of vitamin D3 every day to make up for the deficiency.
Of course, there’s still confusion about how the body makes vitamin D and the best way to get it. “The science behind how the body makes vitamin D is very complicated, and there are no clear answers,” says Dr. Sommerrad, who acknowledges that it’s more effective to safely get vitamin D from sun exposure than from supplements. “When you use sunscreen, UVB gets into your skin and creates vitamin D. There are a lot of conflicting scientific studies that show some people have high, some moderate, and some low vitamin D levels when comparing people who wear sunscreen to people who don’t.”
Skepticism about conservation
With conflicting, unsubstantiated scientific research coupled with a collective sense of being left behind within the product category, it’s no wonder that consumers turn to online communities and peers for guidance and support. This is something Orr has seen firsthand. “Across platforms, influencers and other social media users are sharing their skepticism about the necessity and safety of sunscreen, often to natural alternatives, fear-mongering websites that take data out of context, or questioning the ingredients in traditional sunscreens,” she explains. “This skepticism is sometimes amplified by misinformation and anecdotal experiences that obscure scientific evidence,” Ayodele adds. “I think social media is creating a lot of confusion for consumers,” she says. “I feel like the Black community, especially, is too young to bring this kind of confusion and nuance into the conversation around sunscreen… I think the confusion that social media creates is what’s driving people to be ‘anti-sunscreen.'”
So what’s the solution? Social media is not quiet, with users emboldened by their followers to share their hacks and subjective experiences when they neglect to apply sunscreen. Dr. Shotter believes education is key. “There is still a lot of need for education about the sun. I am often shocked by the terrible trends I see on social media. We need to educate people about the correct use of sunscreen, UV protection on sunny days, sun-protective clothing, and the need to wear sunscreen even on sunny days.” And that’s especially true for black skin. We need to address the understanding that melanin does not exempt you from the harmful effects of UV rays.
Ayodele has long advocated for the latter, and recently stepped up her campaign by handing out free SPF in London with the tagline, “Black people need sunscreen, too.” It’s a simple but important message, but the deeper this message is ingrained in our communities, the safer our skin will be. As Orr says, “By incorporating SPF into their daily skincare routine, Black people can protect their skin from harmful UV rays, maintain skin health, and prevent short- and long-term damage.”
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