Your Sunscreen Protects You Less With Time But Don’t Throw It Away Too Soon

As summer is high and it is important to protect your skin. But not all sunscreen lotions, sprays, sticks, and lip balms are still good after a certain period of time. After a year, sunscreen protects your skin not so effective as before, but that does not mean it’s good for the trash can.

Each sunscreen has an expiration date and an indicator that shows how long it is still good after opening: a number followed by the letter M which stands for months. On the bottle of 12 M, you can use the bottle for 12 months if you have kept it properly. Sometimes you can even use the cream longer, but then you have to take into account certain things.

You may have heard that your bottle is good for one year only because the protection factor halves and protects you less from the sun. Actually, that’s not completely true. After a year, the protection factor is indeed reduced, but not in half. If you have a factor of 50, after a year (if you keep it in the right way) it will be about 45.

The expiry date, therefore, has nothing to do with the protection factor. But that does not mean you do not have to take the date into account.

After the expiration date has expired, you can still use the cream as a protection against the sun. Keep in mind that the cream is less fresh and you should not take a risk if you have sensitive skin.

Some ingredients may be less efficient or useless after the stated period, which will change the texture of the product. The cream can become cluttered or watery, smell strange or feel dirty. In sunscreen lotions, there are preservatives that can attract bacteria after a certain period of time.

It is important to keep your cream properly, also on the beach. If the vial is exposed to sun rays, the factor may decrease faster. Therefore, make sure your sun cream is always under a towel or in your bag. Just do not put it in the sun but keep in the shade. If you follow this simple rules, you can trust the expiry date on the bottle.