The Rise Of Sunscreen Anxiety: Are We Taking SPF Too Far?

Holly, 28, grew up as a self-proclaimed “sun baby” — the kind that could lie in the heat for hours, emerging glowy and unfazed. True to form, she recently escaped to Spain in search of sun, sand, and cocktails. But on arrival, there were no warm rays — just grey skies and rain on the forecast. 

Cue the disappointment: who wants to fly miles just to bring bleak, wet weather with them? “At first I was gutted. I wanted to relax and read my book in the sun. But a small part of me was relieved,” Holly admits. “I imagined the intense [UV] rays I would be exposed to and the kind of damage that would do to my skin. Lately, I carry a lot of guilt and anxiety, worrying about whether my SPF is enough,” she reveals.  

Holly isn’t alone in feeling increasingly anxious about sun exposure. As summer approaches, many young people are growing intensely reliant on sunscreen: “I caught myself unzipping my handbag three times before walking to the train station last weekend because I kept feeling like I had forgotten my sunblock,” Fiona, 25, tells me. She has even brought it up with her therapist. Diagnosed with OCD, Fiona says that her fixation often flares up around health-related concerns; in hot weather, it’s usually about staying hydrated and always carrying her spray-on sunscreen. 

So is it common to be this concerned? And how important is wearing sunscreen really?  

First things first, it’s helpful to understand how the sun affects your skin, starting with UVA rays. Consultant dermatologist Dr. Derrick Phillips says these can penetrate deep into the skin, breaking down collagen and elastin, and accelerating aging. Besides premature aging, UVA rays are also linked to skin cancers such as melanoma. Then there are UVB rays, which are the main cause of sunburn and can also contribute to skin cancer. With this in mind, Dr. Phillips is clear on the importance of sun protection: “I treat skin cancer and see firsthand the devastation it can cause, so my messaging is very clear — I always tell patients to wear high-factor sunscreen.”

Dr. Phillips agrees that public awareness around SPF has grown significantly in recent years, particularly in colder climates, where many people once mistakenly believed that overcast skies offered protection and that sun exposure was only a concern when travelling abroad. But he is quick to add that the growing paranoia around wearing sunscreen can be counterproductive: “We’re living in a world where people are more and more anxious, and while awareness is good, for some people receiving the same message repeatedly on social media can be overwhelming.” 

Sure enough, a quick TikTok search for “sunscreen” serves up countless videos — from skincare enthusiasts to dermatologists — extolling the virtues of daily SPF use, but in the same breath, shaming those who skip it. On Instagram, it’s not uncommon for beauty enthusiasts and even experts to share photos of extreme cases of sunburn and deep wrinkles in a bid to scare viewers into using SPF religiously. Here lies the catch-22: sunscreen is beneficial for your skin and overall health, but the way the message is being delivered is starting to take a toll on people’s mental wellbeing. 

Head to Reddit, and you’ll find multiple subreddits where users confess to a growing “obsession” with sunscreen. One person, who reapplies every two hours, rain or shine, shared that after a day at the beach, she was stressed for a week, convinced she was “doomed to premature aging.” Interestingly, the common fear underscoring these conversations isn’t skin cancer; this is often an afterthought. The real concern is that sun exposure beckons fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, and pigmentation. It’s a worry that many in the digital generation are battling with well before they hit their 40s. 

Dr. Zainab Laftah, a consultant dermatologist at HCA Healthcare, has seen this firsthand and reports an uptick in younger patients asking about sunscreen: “I have several Gen Z patients who are particularly anxious about skipping sunscreen due to a strong fear of aging,” she tells me. “One even admitted to wearing SPF while asleep, worried about potential UV exposure when she wakes up.” 

Somewhere along the way, wearing sunscreen went from a gentle PSA to a full-blown fear-mongering tactic. Although seemingly well-intentioned, this messaging not only relies on fear as a motivator but it also reinforces society’s desire to resist all signs of aging. According to intelligence firm Circana, 70% of Gen Z is already using anti-aging serums daily. While popular culture has always been youth-obsessed, it’s clear that in today’s aesthetics-driven virtual world, our grapple with age has become more complicated than ever. 

To many, sunscreen boasts the alluring promise of holding back time: “It’s been instilled in me by TikTok's skincare obsessives that wearing sunscreen every single day is non-negotiable,” Sophie*, 32, tells me. “I went away with a friend recently and felt a genuine wave of panic when I realized I’d forgotten to pack my SPF,” she continued. “I even considered asking her to turn the car around, despite it not being sunny and knowing we wouldn’t be spending much time outdoors.” Sophie says that we’re constantly fed a narrative that aging is something to fight, delay, and fix: “I’ve never been drawn to injectables, but I tell myself that if I just take care of my skin, I’ll reap the benefits later on,” says Sophie. “But that kind of pressure, even when it comes from a place of self-care, can be exhausting.” 

This rhetoric is constantly echoed back to us: on one hand, prepubescent children are buying under-eye creams; on the other, AI filters give us a glimpse of how we might look with wrinkles, deepening our collective discomfort with aging. Young people are submitting to sleeping with face masks, mouth tapes, and chin straps to freeze their skin in time, while the booming popularity of “baby” Botox, fox eye lifts, and red light therapy reinforces the message that looking youthful is sacrosanct — and easily achieved if you spend enough money. 

Here’s the thing: it’s normal to be nervous about your face and body changing, especially in an era where women are publicly torn down for getting older. It’s hard to fault people for caring about aging when the system feels so rigged against us. It's no wonder, then, that whether you have a 13-step skincare routine or reject the “beauty girlie” label altogether, SPF has become the bare minimum tool to resist looking older. 

Concerningly, sunscreen paranoia is starting to take over — and disrupt — everyday lives. Fiona decided to skip an upcoming group vacation to Italy because she worried that her UK-friendly sunscreen may not be good enough for the high temperatures. Similarly, on the rare morning when Holly forgets to apply sun protection before going for a run, she says that her exercise feels unproductive and even “dangerous.” Likewise, Sophie says that leaving the house without wearing sunscreen on her face feels “irresponsible.”

People take sunscreen very seriously. In 2024, consumer watchdog Which? claimed that popular Bondi Sands SPF50+ Face Sunscreen Lotion had “failed” its UV protection tests, sparking uproar on social media. Users were outraged at the idea that the product might not live up to its promises and could leave them unprotected. Reassuringly, in the US, SPF products are regulated as over-the-counter drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and while Bondi Sands told Refinery29 it works with compliance experts Delphic HSE, fears around sunscreens not delivering on their promises continue to grow.

This is especially true as the Earth warms up. In 2025, we witnessed the hottest January on record. Sanjana, 29, says climate anxiety contributes to her sunscreen usage: “It sounds shallow, but I wish I could calculate how much faster I am aging being born in an era where global warming is worse,” she says. Sanjana adds that she applies two fingers' worth of sunscreen every four hours from April to July when UV levels are higher, and has a reminder set on her phone to ensure she never forgets.  

But is being diligent with SPF application worth living in panic? Psychotherapist and author Eloise Skinner reminds us that an over-reliance on anything can have a negative impact: “It can reach a point where the anxiety outweighs any benefits from an otherwise positive product like sunscreen,” she tells me. “This might be the case where the feared element (sun exposure, for example) is invisible,” Skinner adds. “The lack of immediate physical evidence can push us to spiral or worry more.”

This in no way implies that we should stop using sunscreen; rather, it's a call to find a healthy middle ground, bringing the sunscreen conversation back from the edge and onto more sensible footing. Dr. Phillips tries to mitigate any concerns and anxiety about sunscreen by laying out a clear plan for each of his patients. While the instructions require more nuance based on your skin type and lifestyle, he shares some general rules of thumb. 

“In the summer months, particularly on a sunny day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the UV index is at its highest, you should try to stay in the shade and use SPF,” says Dr. Phillips. “An average adult should be using 30 millilitres of sunscreen with each head-to-toe application,” he stresses, which is almost one-third of a 100 millilitre bottle.

“If you go to the beach, you should reapply sun protection every two hours,” adds Dr. Phillips, and if you’re entering the water, it may get washed off, so you need to apply it again once you’re out.” The rules are the same regardless of your skin tone, says Dr. Phillips. But what about when it isn’t as sunny? Suppose you’re heading to work at 8 a.m. when it's relatively dark outside, and coming home in the evening well after the sun has set. Is sunscreen necessary then? “When the UV index is low in early mornings, you don’t need to use [sunscreen] as much,” Dr. Phillips explains, especially if you’re wearing more clothes. Dr. Phillips recommends focusing on exposed areas, applying a teaspoon-sized amount of SPF to your face and neck.

The colder months also see less UVB radiation — the rays that primarily cause burns — but UVA is still present and can pass through clouds and windows. In this instance, Dr. Phillips says you don’t need to reapply your sunscreen every two hours as you do in the summer months, but if you’re spending a good while outdoors, he suggests carrying a sunscreen mist and topping up when you can. 

Even as a sunscreen enthusiast, Dr. Phillips insists it’s important to uncouple the unhealthy fixation on looking younger from the purpose of sun protection: “We need to reframe the feeling of disgust that comes with aging,” he tells me. “The pendulum has swung too far on one side, where people are scared of wrinkles and fine lines, but these are natural consequences of living,” Dr. Phillips says. The reality is that aging is inevitable, whether you wear sunscreen or not.

For me, every fine line or wrinkle-in-the-making is a little reminder of the many hours spent laughing with my friends or making funny faces at my nephew — some of my favorite moments from the last two decades. Ultimately, we shouldn't feel gripped by the fear that our sunscreen isn’t doing enough, nor should we dread spending time outdoors because of it. Unless you’re planning to sunbathe for hours in direct sunlight, which isn’t advisable, it’s more important to be practical than perfectionist. Keep some SPF in your bag if it’s sunny or you’ll be outside for a while, and if you forget, don’t panic. There are other simple ways to protect yourself: sit in the shade, put on a hat or a pair of sunglasses. There’s no need to rush home.