It’s easy to feel like the internet is a minefield of pseudo-science, especially when you’re scrolling through TikTok. You might have seen those viral videos—someone claiming that sunscreen is “toxic,” causes cancer, or that we should just embrace the sun like our ancestors did. However, a recent study from the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia suggests that while these alarmist claims exist, they aren’t the norm. After analyzing nearly 1,000 of the platform’s most popular sunscreen videos, researchers found that roughly 87% of them actually encourage people to protect their skin. The “anti-sunscreen” movement is a small, quiet minority, but it is making a disproportionate amount of noise.
The study, which examined over 2.4 billion total views across top hashtags like #spf and #sunscreenviral, revealed that the real tension lies in how people interact with this content. While the vast majority of creators are dutifully promoting sun protection, they aren’t always talking about the most critical health benefits. In fact, a mere 6% of these pro-sunscreen videos brought up cancer prevention. Instead, the focus was overwhelmingly cosmetic: preventing acne, avoiding sunburns, or fighting the signs of aging. Because the medical community is underrepresented in these conversations, they are leaving a vacuum that, unfortunately, misinformation is all too eager to fill.
What makes this data so compelling is the stark contrast in engagement. Even though purely negative, anti-sunscreen videos made up less than 2% of the content studied, they consistently outperformed the factual, pro-sunscreen videos in terms of likes, shares, and comments. This isn’t just about people clicking a button; it’s a reflection of human psychology. Misinformation often relies on contrarian, “secret knowledge” narratives that trigger stronger emotional responses than standard health advice. When users feel they are being let in on a “hidden truth” about toxins or hormone disruption, they are far more likely to engage with that content, helping it spread further than it otherwise would.
The researchers note that this dynamic is a perfect storm for health misinformation. Algorithms prioritize engagement, and because critical or conspiratorial content sparks such intense conversation, it frequently gets boosted into more feeds. Even if a user starts out skeptical, repeatedly encountering these false claims can slowly erode their trust in mainstream science over time. The “loudness” of these few videos can make it feel like the entire platform is turning against sunscreen, even when the reality is that they are just a tiny, performative fraction of the total conversation. This skewed perception can lead to a dangerous disconnect between public health goals and what people are actually consuming on their screens.
What this boils down to is a call for a shift in how we communicate about medical safety. Since sunscreen is one of the most accessible and scientifically proven tools for preventing skin cancer, it is concerning that the “pro-sunscreen” side is missing the mark on the most vital message. By focusing almost exclusively on beauty or vanity—how the product feels or how it prevents aging—the mainstream conversation is failing to forcefully center on the life-saving reality of cancer prevention. When that vital health context is missing, the alarmist myths about “toxic ingredients” have an easier time taking root in the public imagination, turning a simple health habit into a subject of unnecessary debate.
Ultimately, we have to look past the scrolling and realize that the loudest voices aren’t always the most numerous—but they are the most distracting. Public health agencies were right to sound the alarm on this trend early, as even a small amount of misinformation can do outsized damage when it’s framed to provoke an emotional reaction. The challenge moving forward is clear: medical professionals and health advocates need to step into the digital arena not just to correct myths, but to reassert the gravity of why sunscreen matters in the first place. Until they do, the influencers selling beauty products and the skeptics spreading theories will continue to occupy the space, leaving the actual health science struggling to be heard above the noise.