Chef and My Kitchen Rules host Pete Evans has come under fire for telling his Facebook followers that wearing sunscreen was “a recipe for disaster”.

When asked in his regular Facebook question and answer posts what he wears while out in the sun, Mr Evans answered: “generally nothing as I keep an all over tan all year”.

“People put on normal chemical sunscreen then lay out in the sun for hours on end and think that they are safe because they have covered themselves in poisonous chemicals,” Mr Evans wrote last week.

Some the chef’s fans criticised Evans’ response.

“All the healthy foods in the world won't help if you develop melanoma!” Kathy Brunckhorst wrote today.

“Any respect that I had for you has dropped to zero since your statements about sunscreen. How irresponsible can you be, Pete?”

Evans has since taken to Facebook again to fend off the backlash and reiterate his product preference.

“Someone asked me the other day about sunscreens and I said I don’t really use them as I keep an all year tan by going in the sun as often as I can without burning, however when I go surfing… I use a product called Surf Mud which is the least toxic product I have managed to find so far,” he wrote.

He also said he has a skin check “every year”.

Mr Evans further defended his comments to news.com.au, telling people to "use common sense and research what is actually in all of the sunscreens".

SurfMud is not registered with the Australian regulatory body for therapeutic goods.

The Cancer Council’s director of education Terry Slevin condemned the comments.

“The science is clear, increased ­exposure to UV radiation equals an increased risk of skin cancer and this is from people who have been researching this for decades,” Mr Slevin told news.com.au.