(Not literally, but you know.)
I dont mean themoisturizer with SPFI wear every day.
Naturally I go through that stuff quickly.
Michiko Tierney
Just as you shouldnt take expired medication, you shouldnt use expiredsunscreen.
The weird thing is that some sunscreen bottles dont come with expiration dates.
Even if yours does, the date can become basically illegible over time.
Here, experts answer those questions and more.
Here’s why sunscreen expiration dates exist and how they work.
Dr. Zampella has a pretty sweet analogy to drive home this point.
Think about those week-old strawberries in your refrigerator.
After being in the fridge for so long, they start to decay, he says.
Thats where expiration dates come in (on the bottles that have them, anyway).
Food and Drug Administration(FDA) explains.
TheFDArecommends drug manufacturers follow standardized guidelines for stability testing, like those outlined by theInternational Council for Harmonization.
The guidelines are full of complicated technical terms and scientific hurdles for manufacturers to clear.
(Theres flexibility in these recommendations, but thats the gist.)
OK, but what happens if you do use expired sunscreen?
Honestly, its anyones guess, and thats why you probably just shouldnt.
Even sunscreen with a high SPF like 75 cant reliably protect you once its expired, he adds.
What if your sunscreen doesnt have an expiration date?
So any sunscreen without a listed expiration date should be considered expired three years after purchase, theFDAsays.
Like with any other medicine, if youre in doubt throw it out, Lahanas says.
That can be a sign that it’s no longer safe to use.
(Good job, by the way.)
Along the same lines, you shouldnt store sunscreen in your car, where it can overheat.
If you buy sunscreen that doesnt have an expiration date, theAADrecommends writing your purchase date on the container.
That will help you have a better idea of when its time has come.
So you dontneedto buy new sunscreen every year, but you probably should.
Dermatologists often say that you really should be using enough sunscreen that it doesnt have time to go bad.
