Nara Smith's viral homemade SPF sparks safety concerns

"We ran out of SPF cream, so I asked my husband to make some for me." Influencer Nara Smith shared a recipe for homemade sunscreen online. The video went viral, but the product could be dangerous.

Nara Smith is a popular influencer known for being able to make any product from scratch at home. Lollipops? Why go to the shop when you can make them at home "with what you have on hand." Chewing gum? No problem. Breakfast cereal? She bakes it herself too. Her videos are cosy and aesthetically pleasing, which might be why she is popular. Another issue is creating unrealistic standards for others.

Just when internet users thought nothing could surprise them anymore, Nara Smith posted a recipe for homemade SPF cream online. "Lucky [Lucky Blue Smith, model, Nara's husband – ed. note] and I burn quite easily, so we wanted something with a higher SPF," she explained. Later in the recording, she lists the ingredients her husband uses to make the homemade cream, including shea butter, coconut butter, and oil.

The comments under the video are varied: some internet users don't believe in the power of Nara Smith's cream, while others joke about her ability to make everything from scratch. "Can you make homemade Ozempic?" "I didn't know SPF could be made at home." "Isn't this just oil that will fry your skin?" "Let's be honest. How do you know it works?" "Which ingredient makes the cream sunscreen?" The cosmetic brand Kiehl's impulsively wrote: "Homemade SPF? We love it!"

"It shocks me that so many recipes are available online, as if making SPF cream is as simple as baking biscuits because they weren't available at the shop. Every SPF cream on the market undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it will protect human skin against UV and, most importantly, prevent sunburns. Even one case of blistering sunburn doubles your chances of developing melanoma. If you make DIY SPF cream at home, you have no idea how much protection it provides. It could be SPF 2, it could be SPF 10. Homemade bubble tea? Sure. Homemade SPF cream? No," dermatologist Dr. Adel firmly commented on Nara Smith’s video.

The recipe for homemade SPF made its way to the United States. A girl who commented on the issue emphasised that Nara Smith has eight million followers and reaches a vast audience with her posts. "As CEO of the world, I would ban people like her from social media forever," she wrote.