This article was originally published in 2024 and was last updated June 13, 2025.
- Tension: We underestimate the risks we’ve normalized—even in sunny climates like Brazil.
- Noise: Marketing often overemphasizes aesthetic skincare benefits while ignoring real health consequences.
- Direct Message: Sunscreen isn’t just about beauty—it’s a frontline defense in a public health crisis we don’t talk about enough.
See how we separate projection from authenticity in The Direct Message methodology.
Why sunscreen habits in Brazil are a global wake-up call
In a country known for its beaches, sunshine, and outdoor lifestyle, you’d expect sunscreen to be a daily staple.
But Brazil, despite having some of the world’s highest UV indexes, continues to see shockingly low sunscreen adherence.
A 2024 survey revealed that 70% of Brazilians don’t apply sunscreen daily.
This isn’t just a cosmetic issue. According to Brazil’s National Cancer Institute (INCA), skin cancer is the most common cancer in the country, accounting for 33% of all diagnosed cases.
Yet even with widespread awareness campaigns and high-profile brand initiatives, sun protection remains underutilized.
The disconnect points to something deeper: not just a gap in behavior, but in how we think about health, identity, and risk.
Brazil’s sunscreen story isn’t just Brazil’s—it’s a preview of what happens when health advice competes with cultural norms, marketing noise, and human psychology.
What sunscreen does—and why it matters more than you think
Sunscreen protects the skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays—specifically UVA (which accelerates skin aging) and UVB (which causes sunburn and contributes to cancer).
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, even when it’s cloudy.
But there’s a modern twist. Recent studies, show increasing concern over blue light exposure from screens, which can also damage skin by increasing oxidative stress and hyperpigmentation.
Enter products like The Indoor Protector, launched in early 2024 by Zmes and Needs in Brazil. Marketed as protection against artificial light, it tapped into growing consumer anxiety about screen time—only to reveal a surprise twist.
Influencers unboxed it to find it was actually a standard SPF 70 sunscreen, relabeled. The point: all light exposure matters, not just sunlight.
This isn’t just a clever campaign, it’s a cultural moment. In a world where indoor work dominates and beauty standards evolve via filtered selfies, redefining “sun care” as “light care” felt strangely appropriate.
Why we resist daily sunscreen—despite the science
This resistance isn’t about ignorance. Most Brazilians, and global consumers know sunscreen is recommended. But three hidden tensions often derail behavior:
- Health vs. vanity: Sunscreen is still marketed as a beauty product rather than a health essential.
- Convenience culture: Daily routines are overloaded. Applying sunscreen feels optional, especially indoors.
- Identity friction: In Brazil, tanned skin is culturally associated with health, vitality, and class mobility. Pale skin, historically linked to the elite, carries different connotations. Sunscreen sometimes feels counter-cultural.
This is where personal identity rubs against public health guidance—and the friction is rarely addressed head-on.
Marketing that clouds the message
Brazil’s influencer campaign had impact, but much of sunscreen marketing elsewhere still emphasizes cosmetics: glowing skin, anti-aging, beach-ready radiance.
Another challenge is “SPF inflation.” Higher numbers (like SPF 100) imply invincibility, yet research shows SPF 30–50 offers sufficient protection when applied correctly.
Marketing pushes higher-SPF products, while real-world users apply too little and too infrequently.
Add in the flood of skincare influencers with conflicting advice and the average consumer is overwhelmed.
The result? Paralysis disguised as choice.
The Direct Message
Sunscreen isn’t a beauty product—it’s a daily health ritual. Treating it as optional is a cultural failure, not a personal one.
What this teaches us about habits, health, and marketing
We tend to think of sunscreen as a habit we just need to “stick to.” But the deeper issue is narrative.
When health guidance clashes with our self-image, it rarely sticks—no matter how compelling the science.
Brazil’s sunscreen struggle is really about more than SPF. It’s a case study in how culture, convenience, and commercial framing shape our choices.
For marketers, it’s a reminder: health behaviors won’t change unless the story changes too.
Sunscreen must be reframed from a cosmetic luxury to an act of self-respect and protection. That requires less gloss, more grit—and messages that honor the truth of daily life.
For consumers, the call is simple but profound: health is in the invisible choices. Sunscreen, like flossing or budgeting, is one of those low-glamour, high-impact decisions that quietly shape our future selves.
And for brands? Campaigns like The Indoor Protector are a step forward—because they reveal the tension, not hide it.
The more we connect sun care to people’s lived reality—inside or out—the more likely we are to shift behavior for good.
