All it takes is an afternoon at the park, a sunny terrace or a day at the beach to feel this deceptive impression: “It’s not that serious”. The sun evokes vacations, relaxation, summer. Rarely danger. However, behind this almost emotional relationship with summer light, dermatologists see another reality progressing: that of skin cancers, early lesions and often underestimated sun exposure. Published by FEBEA with OpinionWay, the 2026 barometer on the behavior of French people in relation to the sun highlights a worrying paradox: we know the risks, but we protect ourselves less.
A vigilance that is slowly eroding, despite health alerts
The figure is immediately striking: according to the National Cancer Institute (INCa), the number of skin cancers has more than tripled in France between 1990 and 2023.
At the same time, sun protection behavior seems to be declining.
According to the 2026 barometer carried out by FEBEA with OpinionWay, 71% of French people say they apply sun protection at the beach or swimming pool. A figure that could seem encouraging… except that it is falling sharply. In 2024, they were 83%.
In other words, nearly three out of ten French people today say they do not protect themselves in the most exposed situations.
Another worrying observation: sun protection often remains insufficiently applied. Only one in four French people renew their cream every two hours, in accordance with health recommendations. Among parents, the phenomenon is similar: 84% protect their children from the sun, but only 42% repeat the application correctly.
As is often the case in public health, knowledge of the recommendations is not always enough to change behavior in the long term.
The obstacles mentioned are very concrete. The first: the constraint of regular renewal, cited by 54% of French people. Next comes the price of solar products, mentioned by 53% of respondents and 58% of parents.
Gradually, sun protection seems to be slipping from the status of a health reflex to that of a “restrictive” gesture.
People under 25, the generation most exposed to preconceived ideas
This is probably the most worrying point of the investigation.
Among those under 25, the trivialization of solar risk appears particularly marked. Nearly one in two young people believe they can do without sunscreen “without any real risk”.
Four out of ten young people say they do not even use protection at the beach or swimming pool.
Behind these figures lies a complex cultural relationship to tanning, still largely associated with beauty, health or social attractiveness.
Many preconceived ideas also continue to circulate.
According to the barometer:
- 46% of French people think that the quantity of cream applied does not influence the level of protection;
- 48% believe that sunscreens protect against all UV rays;
- 21% still think they prevent you from tanning;
- 30% consider that makeup or day cream with SPF protects all day long.
So many beliefs that can promote a false sense of security.
FEBEA’s scientific advisor, Erwan Poivet, nevertheless recalls an essential reality: “Insufficient application greatly reduces protection. To be effective, sunscreen must be applied generously and renewed every two hours..
Dermatologist Dr Marina Alexandre-Audaire also insists on the need not to consider sun protection as “absolute shields”. UV rays continue to partially reach the skin, even with a high index. Sunscreen reduces the risk. She never completely cancels it.
Between fear of ingredients and the urgency to protect your skin
The other paradox highlighted by the study concerns the growing distrust of solar products themselves.
More than one in two French people say they fear “the impact on health of certain ingredients contained in sunscreens”. A concern which, however, recedes compared to 2024.
Environmental concerns also play an important role. One in two French people still cite the supposed impact of sunscreen on the oceans as a barrier to their use. And almost a third say they have already given up protecting themselves for this reason – a figure which rises to 50% among those under 25.
In the FEBEA press release, the experts nevertheless point out that “Faced with UV rays, the real danger is not protecting yourself.”.
The subject today crystallizes sometimes contradictory concerns: fear of skin cancer on the one hand, fear of chemical ingredients and the ecological impact on the other.
For dermatologists, the issue therefore becomes as much scientific as it is educational.
Because UV damage is not limited to visible sunburn. Premature aging of the skin, pigment spots, deep cellular changes: the effects of sun exposure accumulate silently over the years. And often, when the first lesions appear, it is already late.
This reality gives sun prevention an almost intimate dimension: protecting your skin today also means taking care of the body you will inhabit tomorrow. A seemingly banal gesture. But which, every summer, can become a real public health issue.