Celebrity chef Pete Evans' claim sunscreen is laced with poisonous chemicals is "rubbish", the Australian Medical Association says.
The popular My Kitchen Rules host and keen surfer admits he doesn't usually wear sunscreen, claiming his tan and the short amount of time he spends in the sun keeps him safe.
"Generally nothing," Evans wrote on Facebook in response to a fan who asked which sunscreen he uses.
"The silly thing is people put on normal chemical sunscreen then lay out in the sun for hours on end and think that they are safe."
However, NSW AMA councillor and dermatologist Saxon Smith strongly disagrees and says Evans shouldn't be "talking such rubbish".
"I can't believe I'm saying this but sunscreen is not poisonous - it is potentially life-saving.
"Along with wearing protective clothes, hats, sunglasses, and seeking shade ... it is the best defence we have from skin cancer."
The Australian Cancer Council says nanoparticles in sunscreen do not pose a risk to human health.
A joint study by several scientific groups including the CSIRO in 2014 found the human body is able to absorb excess zinc oxide - an ingredient used to help form a barrier against the sun's rays.
Evans took to Facebook again on Monday saying he doesn't stay out long enough in the sun to burn and urged people to read sunscreen ingredient labels before buying the products.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
Some 130,000 Australians are expected to be diagnosed this year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
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