INTRODUCTION
Individuals with skin of color (SOC) are less likely to use sunscreen and other sun-protective measures due to misinformation and common misconceptions regarding the benefits of sunscreen.1 In addition to skin cancer prevention, many SOC individuals are unaware that sunscreen can also be used to slow down signs of extrinsic aging and prevent worsening of dyspigmentation.2,3,4 We hypothesized that new formulations of chemical and mineral sunscreens for darker skin colors in recent years, along with increased education about the benefits of sunscreen, have helped create a shift in interest regarding sunscreen use in darker skin. This study sought to formally and objectively analyze these trends online.
Google Trends, an engine used to analyze search trends temporally and geographically, was used to analyze the trends in searches of the phrases "sunscreen for dark skin" and "sunscreen for black skin" since 2004. Search trends are analyzed based on relative search volume (RSV); a value that quantifies the absolute number of searches compared to the total number of searches over a given time period on a scale of 0-100. Monthly RSVs were then averaged to determine the mean RSV for each year. A value of 100 represents the highest RSV within a set period, while 0 indicates few searches. Additional phrases such as "Sunscreen for ethnic skin" and "Sunscreen for brown skin" were also searched but did not produce data significant enough to establish a trend.
Google Trends, an engine used to analyze search trends temporally and geographically, was used to analyze the trends in searches of the phrases "sunscreen for dark skin" and "sunscreen for black skin" since 2004. Search trends are analyzed based on relative search volume (RSV); a value that quantifies the absolute number of searches compared to the total number of searches over a given time period on a scale of 0-100. Monthly RSVs were then averaged to determine the mean RSV for each year. A value of 100 represents the highest RSV within a set period, while 0 indicates few searches. Additional phrases such as "Sunscreen for ethnic skin" and "Sunscreen for brown skin" were also searched but did not produce data significant enough to establish a trend.
The estimated annual RSV for the phrase "sunscreen for dark skin" ranged from 0 to 28, with the peak being reached in 2020. Since 2006, the annual RSV has nearly quadrupled reflecting an almost 400% increase in Google searches on the topic of sunscreen for dark skin. Of note, the yearly times of peak interest were primarily seen in the months leading up to the summer and the summer months themselves. A sharp increase can be seen between the months of March and August/September of each year. In 2006, there was a sharp peak in interest to 50 RSV in January, after which RSV remained between 0 and 30 each month for many years. It was not until the summer of 2016 that there was a rise in searches on the topic of sunscreen for dark skin. The trend continued to rise each year following this resurgence. Geographically, the states of MD, GA, NJ, NY, and CA held the positions for the highest associated RSVs for the phrase "sunscreen for dark skin", with MD at an RSV of 100
