And since SPF is extremely regulated by the FDA, it needs to be stamped with an FDA-approved expiration date. “Sunscreen expiration dates are required by the Meals and Drug Administration,” Robinson agrees.
In case your bottle doesn’t have an expiration date (or maybe it rubbed off from put on or sweat), he recommends writing the date of buy on the bottle your self. Most sunscreens usually have a shelf-life of round three years, give or take, so maintain observe of while you bought and opened your bottle.
So in the event you purchased final yr’s sunscreen final yr, try to be OK. If it’s a four-year-old bottle, it’s in all probability time to toss it.
Nevertheless! Your sunscreen can expire nicely earlier than its proposed shelf-life in the event you don’t retailer it proper. “Sunscreen needs to be saved in a cool, darkish place1 to take care of its stability and efficacy,” Robinson explains, as direct daylight and warmth can break down its UV-protective molecules.
That means, in the event you often depart your sunscreen in a scorching sizzling automotive or outdoors by the pool, you may need a rancid SPF ahead of you assume.
How have you learnt in case your sunscreen has gone unhealthy? Verify the feel and colour of the goop: Expired sunscreens are likely to separate or seem clumpy, or they could have a yellow or brown tinge from oxidation. In case your SPF smells in any respect pungent, that is additionally a surefire signal it is gone rancid (and possibly contaminated with micro organism). You may learn extra about sunscreen finest practices right here, together with the way to retailer your varied bottles.