The Sunscreen Debate: Health Risks vs. Industry Influence

A 1998 article in Mother Earth described the industry connections that provide guidance to the public for wearing sunscreen when being exposed to the sun. The article details how the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) provides the information that dermatologists tell the public regarding the necessity of sunscreen and the safety of these products. The SCF has a “corporate council” that has existed since 1981.

The corporate council includes over 100 companies that make skin creams, lotions, and sunscreens. These companies are said to support the foundation’s work to protect the public from the most common form of cancer. The cost for companies to be involved in the corporate council is $15,000 per year. The social media guidelines for council members says that the SCF cannot promote products, but does offer extra incentives for companies who contribute a minimum of $25,000 per year. For that price point, the SCF will consider sharing a company’s “cause marketing campaign.”

An obvious conflict of interest is at play when messaging campaigns by and for dermatologists make a significant amount of money from donations from the for-profit skin care and sunscreen industry. The top three sunscreen brands are Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Neutrogena. Banana Boat’s parent company is Edgewell Personal Care, which has five government lobbyists that formerly worked in the U.S. government in 2020 according to Open Secrets. Coppertone was formerly owned by Bayer before being sold in 2019 to Beiersdorf Ag.

The HighWire has reported on the current lobbying effort to obtain absolute immunity for their herbicide Roundup. Bayer also has 46 government lobbyists, 82% of which have worked within the government before taking on Bayer as a client. Bayer acquired Coppertone from Merck. Mona Saraiya worked with the CDC for nearly three decades and assisted with the Guidelines for School Programs to Prevent Skin Cancer, of which the Skin Cancer Foundation was a listed partner. Saraiya now works for Merck as a senior director of global affairs for the HPV vaccine.

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson. Dr. Mark McClellan was the director of the FDA from 2002-2004 before going on to work for Johnson and Johnson. McClellan wrote 15 papers between 2013-2018 of which he disclosed his lucrative position with Johnson and Johnson just three times. Aveeno is another popular sunscreen brand that is owned by Kenvue, a former division of Johnson and Johnson.

Benzene Contamination and Lawsuits Alleging Cancer

There have been many recalls of aerosol sunscreen sprays in recent years for being contaminated with benzene. Benzene is not an intentional ingredient in sunscreen, and manufacturers are unsure why it has been detected in aerosol sunscreen products. The American Cancer Society says “Exposure to benzene has been linked with a higher risk of cancer, particularly leukemia and other cancers of blood cells.”

Neutrogena, Aveeno, and Coppertone all have been sued for putting products on the market that are contaminated with Benzene. There is expected to be more lawsuits regarding specific harm and cancers that have developed from use of the product. One commenter said, “Neutrogena sunscreen was my go-to product, and I used it every single day for close to 20 years because I owned a landscaping company and was in the sun daily about 8 months of the year. I used Neutrogena spray on my chest, neck and arms and lotion on my face. That’s a lot of sunscreen. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in the spring of 2020.”

Another commenter stated that her son had severe chemical burns on his face after using Coppertone 50 spf aerosol sunscreen.

Product Ingredients and Safety

A Glamour article from June points to an FDA study that shows sunscreen chemicals remain in the bloodstream for days and as long as weeks after application. These chemicals include “ oxybenzone, octocrylene, octinoxate, homosalate, and avobenzone.” Brendan Camp, a New York dermatologist, refers to the American Academy of Dermatology statement that more research needs to be done. Camp further states that just because something absorbs into the bloodstream doesn’t mean it is dangerous.

The Environmental Working Group has a detailed breakdown of the chemicals and safety concerns that have been uncovered in research studies. Oxybenzone absorbs into the skin “to a greater extent than previously understood” and is linked to poor birth and reproductive outcomes as well as lower testosterone in boys.

Oxybenzone acts as an endocrine disruptor and potentially increases the risk of breast cancer and endometriosis. Sunscreens in the U.S. can contain up to 6% concentration of Oxybenzone, and the European Commission determined that level to be unsafe for humans in a 2021 report. The commission has recommended a level of 2.2% for sunscreens. The other common ingredients listed also are connected to hormonal changes.

Prevalence of Skin Cancer Caused by the Sun

A Substack post by A Midwestern Doctor and covered on the Jimmy Dore Show breaks down the overall prevalence of skin cancer and the risks associated with the disease. Basal Cell Carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer which comprises 80% of all skin cancers. The prevalence is estimated to be 14 cases per 10,000 individuals per year. Excessive sun exposure, fair skin, and a family history are the risk factors for getting BCC.

The risk of fatality is 0%, according to most sources because it rarely metastasizes. The biggest risk associated with BCC is that it can cause disfigurement if it is left alone and continues to grow.

Profit Motive and Marketing Techniques

A Midwestern Doctor includes a portion of a blog written by Dermatologist David J. Elpern, who describes a fundamental shift in the role of dermatologists in medicine. Elpern said, “This trend began in the early 1980s when the Academy of Dermatology (AAD) assessed its members over 2 million dollars to hire a prominent New York advertising agency to raise the public’s appreciation of our specialty. The mad men recommended “educating” the public to the fact that dermatologists are skin cancer experts, not just pimple poppers; and so the free National Skin Cancer Screening Day was established. These screenings serve to inflate the public’s health anxiety about skin cancer and lead to the performance of vast amounts of expensive low-value procedures for skin cancer and actinic keratosis (AKs).”

A Seinfeld episode titled “The Slicer” in 1997 focused on a dermatologist who was dating Jerry. The girlfriend said she was saving lives from skin cancer and Jerry referred to her as a “pimple popper M.D.”

There is a profit motive for all parts of the skin cancer diagnosis funnel, including the federal health agencies that insist people should wear sunscreen whenever going out into the sunshine. The agencies hire individuals from industry, and those employees often leave the government job to work for industry again. It is a common trend that has been frequently reported on by The HighWire, and something that leads to “regulatory capture.” More recently, Peer.org uncovered a secret “backchannel” the chemical industry has with the EPA.

The Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) takes large amounts of cash from their partners, which happen to sell skin care and sunscreen products. Dermatologists get their information from the SCF, which is the basis for performing more “low-value” surgeries as explained by Dermatologist Elpern M.D.

One more important aspect of the discussion is raising fear of the sun can have negative consequences. Those with high sun exposure are more likely to live longer lives according to research and women are less likely to get breast cancer. The sun is also important for mental health.

While the FDA states that sunscreen chemicals can absorb into the bloodstream for days and weeks, the American Academy of Dermatology says that more research needs to be completed to know if it has negative health implications. Meanwhile, Glamour comes to the conclusion that sunscreen is not harmful despite the clear requirement for more safety testing. They use another doctor that refers to the number of skin cancer diagnoses without mentioning there is a 0% fatality rate for Basal Cell Carcinoma, the most common diagnosis. These statistics are presented without that context so it seems that the benefits of preventing (benign) skin cancer outweigh the (unknown) risks of applying sunscreen.

This has similarities to the claims made by vaccine advocates regarding the “rigorous” safety testing. The HighWire reported about Stanley Plotkin’s recent admissions that there isn’t adequate safety testing. That hasn’t stopped manufacturers, government agencies, and vaccine advocates from claiming the product is safe and effective.