Does sunscreen have an expiration date?

Have you ever wondered if it's time to "break up" with a familiar bottle of sunscreen? Does sunscreen have an expiration date?

For women, sunscreen is one of the indispensable products in the handbag. This is a "weapon" to help girls fight the harmful effects of sunlight and protect lovely skin. Before choosing to buy sunscreen, girls often have to go through a thorough selection process. To get the best results, you must carefully choose the right product for your skin. However, besides choosing the right cream, there are still quite a few factors that you must consider when using sunscreen. And one of them is the "lifetime" of the product. When is the right time to change a new cream jar? 

How long does the "lifetime" of sunscreen last?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all drug manufacturers (including sunscreens), must be tested for stability before they are put on the market. Based on the testing process, the manufacturer can determine the expiration date of the product. As a standard, sunscreen usually has a shelf life of 3 years. However, this also depends on the preservation process of the product by the consumer. On the cream jars, there will often be instructions for use and preservation from the brand. But usually girls don't pay much attention to this issue. This leads to improper storage of the cream. Accordingly, the product will expire faster.

To store sunscreen, you need to note the following factors:

• Avoid exposing the product to sunlight. This will reduce the quality of the ice cream. 
• Sunscreen should be stored in a dry place.
• Do not forget to close the lid after use to avoid oxidation of the cream as well as contamination and dirt.

Sunscreen products usually have a "life" of 2-3 years.

What happens when you use expired sunscreen?

Imagine when you leave food for a long time, the phenomenon of spoilage will appear. At this point, these dishes no longer contain any beneficial nutrients for the body. In addition, eating spoiled food will cause a lot of harm to you. The same can be said for sunscreens. Sunscreen products contain common ingredients such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, and homosalate. When the cream has expired, these substances will gradually oxidize and reduce their inherent effectiveness.

Therefore, using expired sunscreen will not help you protect your skin optimally. Over time, your skin has suffered from the relentless onslaught of the sun.

Expired creams are the risk of causing your skin to become irritated and break out.

How to know when to change sunscreen

In order to avoid "regret" situations when using expired products, you should pocket ways to identify the expiration time of the cream.

The step of checking the expiration date is often accidentally ignored by the girls.

Check the expiration date carefully before you start using it

This is the simplest method that most girls ignore. When receiving the product, the eagerness to experiment made them forget this important factor. And then after a while, the expiration date is often forgotten. Usually, brands will print the expiration date on the bottle of the product with the symbol 12M or 18M. These two numbers correspond to the shelf life of the cream, from 12-18 months. 

However, some sunscreen lines do not have an expiration date printed on the bottle. In this case, you can apply the 3-year rule. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends that you keep a record of the date you purchased the product so you can calculate when it's time to change your cream. In addition, do not forget to store the product properly to avoid accelerating the expiration time. 

Pay close attention to the change of the cream

Besides noting the time of use, you can check the expiration date of the sunscreen through the change of the cream. When it expires, the cream turns milky white or yellow, along with the liquid liquid. Besides, the scent of the cream will also be more alcohol-based. If you notice these signs, immediately exchange for a new product.