TradWife Nara Smith has gone gangbusters on TikTok for a litany of things in the past year: her choice of baby names (hello Rumble Honey Smith), allegedly copying other creators’ content and honestly, just downright taking the piss when it comes to making what should be a simple meal. Now, experts are hitting out at her for her viral homemade SPF recipe, which they say could contribute to serious skin damage.
In case TikTok ain’t yo thang, Nara is a model-turned-content creator who shot to fame for cooking food entirely from scratch all while being an impeccably dressed mother-of-three.
She’s also married to Lucky Blue Smith, AKA the former teen model every chronically online teenager littered their Tumblr pages with pics of in 2014.
With a massive following of 8.2 million TikTok followers, you’d think the 22-year-old would be aware of the influence she has. However, her recent DIY sunscreen controversy proves she either doesn’t care, or doesn’t know.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time outside by the pool and I realised that we ran out of sunscreen, but I asked Lucky to make me some,” she explained in a video shared on June 26.
“We all burn pretty easily, so we went with something with a little bit more SPF.”
The recipe called for coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil and zinc oxide powder. Y’know, very casual, everyday ingredients that everybody has on hand.
Unsurprisingly, the video — which has over 18.9 million views and 2 million likes — has sent the heads of dermatologists spinning because, well, in layman’s terms, DIY SPF is kinda fucked for your skin.
According to Yolanda C. Holmes, a US-based dermatologist and fellow at the American Academy of Dermatology, the only ingredient in the Smiths’ recipe known to aid in skin protection is the zinc oxide powder.
“These ingredients can be good moisturizers for the skin, but that doesn’t mean they will protect you against the sun,” she told The Washington Post. “And using it could make you subject to sunburn.”
The dermatologist also warned against homemade sunscreen because some additives could irritate skin. Not to mention that all SPF products “should be scientifically tested in labs to make sure they are offering a certain level of sun protection”.
The Cancer Council also advised that it “does not recommend making or using homemade sunscreen”.
“Instead, leave sunscreen manufacture to the experts so you know that what you’re using is safe and effective,” the organisation said, noting that zinc oxide must be included in SPF with specific formulations.
“This is unlikely to be achieved in the home.”
A bunch of Nara’s followers also pointed out that making your own sunscreen is all kinds of wack.
“Okay now they playing with us. HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN???” one person commented on the couple’s TikTok.
“Making sunscreen from scratch is CRAZY,” another penned. And a little louder for the people in the back!
Skin cancer continues to be a growing issue, with SunSmart reporting that more than two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
And so, slip, slop, slap and stay away from the homemade stuff!
