Beef Tallow and DIY Sunscreen: 2025's 'Barnyard Wellness' Wave
Tallow, raw milk, and kitchen-made SPF are flooding feeds as 'natural' skincare — here's the dermatologist breakdown of what's harmless and what leaves you burned.
A February 26, 2025 report on 'barnyard wellness' quoted dermatologist Dr. Hannah Kopelman explaining that homemade sunscreen is ineffective because its efficacy depends on specific ingredients in precise formulations to block or absorb UV radiation — and noted that ingredients like the coconut oil in viral recipes can actually cause burns.
Dermatologist Dr. Hannah Kopelman, quoted in the February 26, 2025 report, explained that the efficacy of sunscreen depends on its ability to block or absorb UV radiation, which requires specific ingredients in precise formulations that DIY recipes cannot reliably provide.
Questions we get a lot
Does DIY sunscreen actually protect against UV?
No. As dermatologist Dr. Hannah Kopelman explained in a February 26, 2025 report, sunscreen efficacy depends on specific ingredients in precise formulations to block or absorb UV radiation, which homemade recipes cannot reliably achieve. There is no way to verify the SPF of a kitchen-made product. Relying on it leaves your skin effectively unprotected.
Can homemade sunscreen ingredients cause harm?
They can. The February 26, 2025 report noted that ingredients common in viral DIY recipes, such as coconut oil, can actually cause burns rather than prevent them. Without tested formulation and stability, homemade mixtures give a false sense of protection. Dermatologists recommend a regulated, broad-spectrum sunscreen instead.
r/SkincareAddiction: 'My feed is full of people making sunscreen from beef tallow and coconut oil — is any of this even slightly protective?'