Does sunscreen cause skin cancer?

Evidence does not show that regulated sunscreen used as directed causes skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun and artificial tanning devices is an established cause of skin cancer, while sunscreen is intended to reduce the amount of that radiation reaching the skin.

In a randomized Australian trial, daily sunscreen use produced no harmful increase in skin cancer and reduced the number of squamous-cell carcinomas. Follow-up of the same trial found fewer melanomas among participants assigned to daily sunscreen, although the overall melanoma estimate was based on a small number of cases.

Some observational studies have reported inconsistent associations because people at greatest risk or with the most sun exposure may also use sunscreen more frequently. Regulators are still requesting additional safety data for some absorbed ingredients, and particular contaminated products have been recalled, but these limitations do not demonstrate that sunscreen itself causes skin cancer.