Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
– “Everybody’s Free” by Baz Luhrmann (1997)
Almost 25 years after Baz Luhrmann’s song urged people to wear sunscreen for long-term protection, many people are still failing to do so – and they’re putting themselves at greater potential for harm linked to sun exposure.
Summer often means plenty of time spent outdoors, including daytime when the sun’s rays can be brightest. But just 17 percent of U.S. adults use sunscreen daily. Everyone else is risking skin damage.
EWG has long warned of the skin cancer risks linked to inadequate or incorrect use of sunscreen. But skin cancer isn’t the only potential health problem related to sun exposure. Harmful ultraviolet A and B, or UVA and UVB, rays can create a host of other problems, including age spots, freckles and wrinkles.
And everyone is at risk regardless of their skin color, because even people with more melanin and darker skin tones can suffer some of the harms caused by UVA and UVB rays. Melanin is a natural protection, but it’s effective only to a certain extent. Even people with heavily pigmented skin can suffer sun damage beyond skin cancer.
Last year, a Morning Consult survey that EWG commissioned asked 2,200 U.S. adults about their use of personal care products. Only 17 percent of people said they use sunscreen daily, with 31 percent using it at least weekly and 42 percent at least monthly.
Selecting a sunscreen
The vast majority of Americans put their skin at risk by stepping outside without adequate sunscreen protection against UVA and UVB rays.
But slathering on any old sunscreen isn’t the answer, because not all products are equally effective at guarding against these dangers. SPF may not always reflect real life sun protection, and some sunscreen formulations may also contain chemicals that pose their own health risks.
It can be overwhelming to sift through confusing market claims and complex ingredient lists to determine whether a sunscreen meets your specific needs. EWG’s 2024 Guide to Sunscreens provides clarity by rating the hazards and efficacy of recreational sunscreens, in addition to daily use products and lip balms with SPF ratings.
Sunscreen and melanin
The Morning Consult findings also show that daily sunscreen use among the 17 percent of adults is similar across all races, representing 16 percent of white people, 20 percent of Hispanics, 23 percent of Asians and 11 percent of Black people. So those with more melanin are as likely to be using sunscreen daily as people with less melanin.
Whatever a person’s skin color, the best way to stay safe under the sun is to use a safe and effective sunscreen with high UVA protection and SPF that matches your sun activity.
Regulators, dermatologists and advocates emphasize the need for better sunscreens. But their impact on public health is limited, since too few Americans take advantage of them, as the Morning Consult survey shows.
Protection from the sun
There’s a simple solution: Many more Americans should use sunscreen daily.
And EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens can help by addressing questions about which products might be safest and most effective.
The guide even includes some EWG Verified® sunscreens, with SPF between 15 and 50+, which must meet UVA protection standards that exceed U.S. and European requirements, be free from chemicals of concern and be made with the highest expectations of transparency.
Luhrmann’s 1997 song “Everybody’s Free” kicks off by urging listeners to wear sunscreen, noting that its health benefits are a scientific fact. The song is based on a Chicago Tribune opinion from 1997 by Mary Schmich that starts the same way, before offering a long list of other types of advice for living a happy, healthy life.
More than two decades later, the call to use sunscreen is one that the 83 percent of Americans who don’t should start to heed.
