Ep 312 – DIY SPF

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0:01:34.5 Maggie Stasik: Hello and welcome to ASCP's Esty Talk. I'm your co host Maggie Stasik and ASCP's program director.

0:01:40.5 Ella Cressman: And I'm Ella Cressman, licensed esthetician, ingredient junkie and content contributor for Associated Skincare Professionals. And we have a shout out. Check it out. Listen up. We want to give a huge thanks for listening to the beautiful You Skincare Academy Littleton Campus. I guess they listen to our podcast every Wednesday. So we wanna say thank you so much for tuning in. We really appreciate it.

0:02:09.7 MS: So Ella, I was scrolling my newsfeed. This is like the equivalent of my social media, okay. And I came across an article this said skin cancer is on the rise and DIY SPF will not save you.

0:02:23.7 EC: Oh my goodness.

0:02:24.6 MS: I know. So you know I had to click to read. There are so many layers to unpack with a title like that. And the article was about Nara Smith's homemade sunscreen.

0:02:35.6 EC: Oh God.

0:02:36.5 MS: Yeah. So the article starts by telling how this content creator and model, Nara Smith realized she was out of sunscreen. Dun dun dun.

0:02:47.2 EC: Oh my gosh.

0:02:48.5 MS: And instead of heading to the store to pick up a tube, she asks her husband, also a model, to go to the kitchen and whip up a batch. So of course they share this DIY beauty hack on TikTok and it goes viral. It was very controversial. There's a lot of comments on their post where some people are saying, omg, not safe. Bad idea. Melanoma on the rise. And on the other hand, a lot of posts saying, wow, what's the recipe? How do we do this? Like we're totally gonna try it. So in the video he is seen mixing, this is the recipe. Coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil and zinc oxide powder. He then places it on a double boiler to mix it all together.

0:03:41.5 EC: Okay, I'm gonna call bs. First of all, you don't have time to get some sunscreen at the store or overnight, same day delivery from Amazon. But you have zinc oxide in your cupboard and a double boiler? Like who has a double boiler anymore? This is nuts. I'm just, I think it's staged.

0:04:01.1 MS: Yeah. So I mean, major safety concerns here in my opinion. My first reaction was wtf?

0:04:08.0 EC: What's the function? Yeah, what's the function. I would agree with you. Like, what is your thought process on here? I have to admit I had a client once who was making her own SPF. Granted, I'm not quite sure that she was with it all, but I mean, I get it, like well intended, but why would you take that risk at this point? You don't know first of all how it's going to affect your skin. But if there is this protection, if you're going to be completely protected. Because let's be honest, like for years and years and years and years there's been like a natural form of sunscreen for sure.

0:04:43.6 MS: Yeah.

0:04:44.0 EC: But we're in a different climate now. There's some changes happening and we have sophisticated formulations that are like cool. This is the 30, this is a 45. I mean that should be your only decision is do I want chemical or SPF? And then do I want a 30 or 15 or 45? Right?

0:05:00.4 MS: Yeah. Let's talk about SPF for a second. That number. So in this video, Nara Smith says we burn pretty easily. So we went with something that has a little more SPF.

0:05:12.9 EC: Oh 'cause she's so smart. Okay, what happened? What is it?

0:05:15.4 MS: Yeah, so how does she know? She doesn't know. So homemade sunscreens lack the precise formulation and testing that ensures the safety and effectiveness of store bought products. And that number that you see on your SPF bottle, whether it is a physical block with zinc or it is a chemical sunscreen requires an FDA lab to test the product and determine its SPF rating.

0:05:47.6 EC: Let me reiterate that because here's the thing that I don't think a lot of people understand is if an SPF is on the shelf and it says SPF, it has to have drug facts on the back and the drug facts have pertinent information on it. So if it's touted as a sun protectant product, period, it has to have that. And every single batch has to be tested. No matter if this formula is tried and true and you've been creating it, let's just say as a manufacturer, that you've been making it for 19, 45 years, I don't know, like a long time. Every batch that you make has to be tested to verify this percentage. And that is since the FDA has put into effect those numbers, which we can talk about on another podcast. But I don't think people really understand that. So it's kind of a little secret why some lines, especially those that just start out, don't necessarily have an SPF is because that's expensive. It's minimum $10,000 per batch just to test it. So those who are making a sunscreen are anticipating they have higher MOQs or they're going through a lab that has an established relationship with the FDA testing facilities.

0:07:01.7 EC: But that is a requirement. It's really important that we understand that as professionals is that's the only way that it can be sold on the shelves. It has to have that testing. So if you're mixing carrot seed, coconut, zinc powder, you could have some sun protection because ____ are natural things, but you just don't know. You don't know what it is and what that appropriate duration. Especially for someone who says, you said that she said we burn pretty easy. What the heck. I know I'm trying to be unbiased here, but there's lots of letters floating up in my head with a big question mark after it.

0:07:35.1 MS: Yeah, you said it all. You have to have that FDA lab to test your product, to get the number on the bottle and to know how effective it is against UV rays. End of story. So the other thing that was really interesting about this post is about skin cancers and tanning. So There was a 2024 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology that had some really interesting stats. Adults, specifically Gen Z, 18 to 26, they are overly conscious about skincare, but not sunscreen.

0:08:08.1 EC: That's weird. That is weird because I think the generation above them like kind of between us, I mean, not that we're old, but like they are very well aware of sunscreen and because their parents put it on them. So I wonder if the Gen Z and Alphas are just like numb to it.

0:08:24.2 MS: I don't know what to make of this. And I know there's always those biases about sunscreens, like, it's white or it makes my skin feel gross or it's greasy or you know, fill in the blank, whatever. And people choose not to use it. I get that. So you have a lot of brand manufacturers that try to make it not so white or more matte or it's a primer with your makeup or whatever the case may be. When you were growing up, what was your sunscreen usage like?

0:08:54.8 EC: At the pool in the summer?

0:08:56.4 MS: Yeah.

0:08:57.6 EC: That's it.

0:08:57.9 MS: Yeah. And what was your views about sun exposure? Like, were you taught a certain thing?

0:09:03.4 EC: Yeah. My mom had a album cover with tinfoil on it that she was sitting with under her chin so she can get all angles of her neck. And ironically, she now has this huge spot on her cheek that she can't stand. And I've shared with you that my mom has dementia, but she's still like, I was gonna get a nail file and scrape it off. I'm like, no, mom, it's not gonna come off like that. Let me just get you some cream and stuff. But for me, it was, we got a... Remember the term based tan?

0:09:28.8 MS: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

0:09:29.5 EC: We got a base tan. And then you were good for the rest of the summer. So you would put like an SPF 8 on.

0:09:35.4 MS: Yes.

0:09:35.8 EC: Remember?

0:09:36.4 MS: Yeah. Like that base tan was, that's what we were taught. But I do not tan. I am as fair as can be.

0:09:44.3 EC: That's base freckle for you.

0:09:46.7 MS: Burn and it heals and I'm white again. But the common knowledge was you get your base tan and then you are fine for the summer. And you better believe I was out there getting my base tan.

0:09:56.8 EC: Every day.

0:09:57.5 MS: It was my SPF 8.

0:10:00.0 EC: Yes.

0:10:00.8 MS: But my point is, our perception about sun exposure and sunscreen over the years has drastically changed. So this statistic about Gen Z and their concerns about no sunscreen, it's really interesting to me. We have kind of shifted back, it seems like, to our old ways of thinking.

0:10:23.0 EC: Yeah.

0:10:23.7 MS: So the survey, 30% reported they care more about getting a tan than preventing skin cancer.

0:10:31.6 EC: Okay. This is shocking, but it kind of reminds me of you and not wanting eye cream. And it reminds me of this because you don't, I mean, this is just a sign, if this is only interviewing the Gen Z of the feeling of invincibility. I'm reminded of a story from the summer of my friend. So we are paddleboarders. And so we were up at this beautiful serene lake, and she just was, kept putting. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt and kept applying SPF 30 like every 15 minutes. I'm like, you're gonna be okay. She's like, I don't wanna look older. I don't want all these things, these consequences and those. We were giggling about the fact that this is not what we thought in our 20s and we were being more aware of it in our 30s, but now are like. So I'm wondering if this is just that invincible mindset that it can't happen to you, but it can.

0:11:22.9 MS: Yeah, really good point. 1 in 5Americans is diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.

0:11:29.0 EC: And maybe they just haven't gotten to that. But that skin cancer diagnosis, the root starts in that 18 and 26.

0:11:38.1 MS: It does. Yeah. All the damage that we, I'm saying we, like, you're in this with me.

0:11:43.4 EC: I am.

0:11:43.9 MS: That we're seeing now is from our teenage years when we were trying to get that base tan.

0:11:48.9 EC: It's from the 8% SPO. Yeah, yeah, I agree. That's invincibility. So interesting.

0:11:55.8 MS: Yeah. It is anticipated there will be a 6% increase in melanoma this year in 2025 compared to 2024.

0:12:05.5 EC: Is it because of TikTok DIY recipes?

0:12:08.6 MS: Yes, it must be. And all these people who don't want to put on their SPF. So, yeah. It could also tie into the rise of DIY beauty, where the focus is often more on appearance than on health. And we've talked about this in other podcasts, like social media influencers such as Nara Smith saying, this is how you stay young and this is how you make your SPF.

0:12:29.1 EC: Keep some zinc oxide in your pantry.

0:12:32.0 MS: Totally. The desire for youthful tan skin, I think also, though, is deeply rooted in our culture.

0:12:38.6 EC: Yeah. I think the perception is tan is pretty.

0:12:41.7 MS: Yeah.

0:12:42.5 EC: And what's interesting to me is over the centuries, the opposite is true. And this is an American thing, too, and maybe a couple other countries, but not all over the globe. It's not a globally adopted philosophy because in other areas, not being tan is seen as the preference because it's an implication of different stature, where here, it implies that perhaps you have more time to be out in the sun or that you're more athletic or that you have, I'll just boil it down, do you have the time to tan, perhaps? Or other cultures and then other points in history, it's the opposite. Like, you have the luxury of staying inside or you're not going to have these spots in this trauma. So it's very interesting. So it's the youthful appearance perception is that tan and carefree.

0:13:34.9 MS: I don't think that that will ever go away for us, because we have, like we've talked there's these ups and downs in use of SPF and our understanding about sun exposure. But at the end of the day, as you said, having a tan is a positive thing in our society.

0:13:52.3 EC: I love myself tan. It's be I prefer myself tan, but I also am getting these spots on my hands and so I will prefer myself spray tanned or foam tanned, I guess, fake tanned, faux tanned.

0:14:06.8 MS: I don't know specifics about your client base if you are treating the Gen Z.

0:14:12.6 EC: Yes, I am, And here it is a lot.

0:14:15.4 MS: Okay. All right. Have you ever had a client come in that says they don't use SPF or what would you do if they said I am not going to apply SPF?

0:14:22.2 EC: Well, I had that one kooky one a couple, she was like 15, maybe 10 years ago and there was some other things going on. But I think Kiara has, she has encountered DIY sunscreen, DIY skincare more than I have in the last two years, let's just say because it is a thing, not sunscreen but I had someone who would come in and she's, I do my own vitamin C serum which I thought was very interesting. So if I have people come in who say they don't use an SPF we talk about the why. And again, I'm not that finger wagging esthetician I want to understand, but that does limit my opportunity to treat. So there are certain things that I cannot do. Like I can't move forward with a chemical peel for example, I can't move forward with a dermaplane because it's my opinion not ethical to do so. So I can't tell them to do SPF but I can lead them that way and help them understand the importance of it.

0:15:24.4 MS: Not to mention here in Colorado after a chemical peel you are required by law to apply your SPF.

0:15:31.7 EC: What I get a lot is, oh, only when I go outside because I do think as cultural here in Colorado it is just a thing you do when you go outside. But that is where I do take the opportunity to discuss the benefit of using it for blue light exposure. And I think that is something that connects with Gen Z particularly because they've been in front of their devices. They grew up with their devices in front of them. So very interesting. I don't know. What would you do?

0:16:00.7 MS: That's a really good question. What you just said, I think is probably what I do. It's going to limit the treatments I can perform. And if I've got a client coming in specifically for those aggressive exfoliations, chemical peels, microderm dermaplaning, well, I'm sorry, we just can't proceed because this treatment will be followed up with SPF. If you don't want me to apply that SPF, we can't have the treatment. What you do outside of my treatment room and at home, that's up to them. But it's going to negate everything we're doing in my treatment space today. I think it's just understanding why that person doesn't like SPF and educating them on the importance of having it. Because we're going to have a consultation talking about their skincare goals, which 99% of the time is about anti aging. You can't anti age if you're not protecting against the UV rays.

0:16:52.9 EC: Yeah, that's very true. And plus there's so many different types of formulations now. There is drops, there's powders, there's creams, there's oil free, there's tinted. There's so many options for professionally FDA tested sunscreens that there really is something for everyone. I carry three different kinds. Actually I have one, two, three, I have six different formulations in my practice, and of course there's some bestsellers. But I've got something for you. So excuses be gone. You gotta wear it.

0:17:25.8 MS: Something for everyone. Now listeners, we want to hear from you. While we hope you're not using DIY SPF, share with us how you are prioritizing your health and navigating beauty trends. Share with us on social media, through Instagram, Facebook or by emailing getconnected@ascpskincare.com thank you for listening to ASCP Esty Talk and as always, for more information on this episode, or for ways to connect with Ella and myself, or to learn more about ASCP, check out the show notes.

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