INTRODUCTION
Benzene, a known human carcinogen, was recently found in certain batches of sunscreen products. Our objectives were to analyze the messages conveyed in dermatologists’ social media posts on this topic. Two social media platforms, Instagram and TikTok, were searched for posts containing the tag “#benzeneâ€. A total of 75 posts from 47 distinct dermatologists were analyzed. The majority of posts were video based (69.3%) and posted on Instagram (64.0%). The majority of posts (62.7%) referenced the original study that identified benzene in sunscreen. 90.7% of posts mentioned a contamination issue, 73.3% mentioned that benzene is not a normal sunscreen ingredient, and 76.0% recommended continued sunscreen use. Our study highlights the importance of dermatologists as health educators on social media.
Valisure, an independent laboratory, reported on 5/25/21 that benzene, a known carcinogen, was found in 78 sunscreens and after-sun products.1 In response, Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled five sunscreens on the Valisure list.2 We sought to analyze messages conveyed in dermatologists’ social media posts on this topic.
Instagram and TikTok were searched for “#benzene†posts between 5/25/2021 and 8/31/2021. Inclusion criteria included: posts from dermatologists, video-or photo-based posts, posts from a public account, and relevance. Dermatologist demographics and messages posted were recorded and analyzed. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC).
A total of 75 posts were included in the final analysis, from 47 distinct dermatologists, 76.6% female, and with 14 dermatologists having multiple posts. The average number of posts per dermatologist was 1.6. Twenty-eight dermatologists (59.6%) were white, 12 (25.5%) were Asian, 5 (10.6%) were black, and 2 (4.3%) were Hispanic. The majority were attendings (91.5%) and most commonly from the Northeast (31.9%; Table 1).
The majority of posts were video based (69.3%) and posted on Instagram (64.0%). Dermatologists had an average 236,392 followers (range: 153-1,400,000). The mean length of videobased posts was 59 seconds (range: 5-265s). Nineteen primary messages were conveyed across posts (Table 2). The majority of posts (62.7%) referenced the Valisure study, with more posts
Valisure, an independent laboratory, reported on 5/25/21 that benzene, a known carcinogen, was found in 78 sunscreens and after-sun products.1 In response, Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled five sunscreens on the Valisure list.2 We sought to analyze messages conveyed in dermatologists’ social media posts on this topic.
Instagram and TikTok were searched for “#benzene†posts between 5/25/2021 and 8/31/2021. Inclusion criteria included: posts from dermatologists, video-or photo-based posts, posts from a public account, and relevance. Dermatologist demographics and messages posted were recorded and analyzed. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC).
A total of 75 posts were included in the final analysis, from 47 distinct dermatologists, 76.6% female, and with 14 dermatologists having multiple posts. The average number of posts per dermatologist was 1.6. Twenty-eight dermatologists (59.6%) were white, 12 (25.5%) were Asian, 5 (10.6%) were black, and 2 (4.3%) were Hispanic. The majority were attendings (91.5%) and most commonly from the Northeast (31.9%; Table 1).
The majority of posts were video based (69.3%) and posted on Instagram (64.0%). Dermatologists had an average 236,392 followers (range: 153-1,400,000). The mean length of videobased posts was 59 seconds (range: 5-265s). Nineteen primary messages were conveyed across posts (Table 2). The majority of posts (62.7%) referenced the Valisure study, with more posts
