Safe to say that we’re all well-versed in basic sunscreen commandments. Thou shall use broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection every day. And reapply said sunscreen every two hours. But something that often gets ignored when it comes to safe skincare practices is that tiny little label on the sunscreen bottle known as the expiry date.
It’s natural to not want to waste any product, especially if you can’t physically see anything wrong with it. But using sunscreen—or any skincare product in general—past its shelf life can come with some major consequences. Below the experts break down why everyone should take a sunscreen’s expiry date seriously and how to get the most out of your favorite sunscreens before it’s time to toss them out.
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Is there a sunscreen expiry date?
To put it bluntly: yes. There will come a time when even the best sunscreens are no longer effective. According to Krupa Koestline, founder and chief cosmetic chemist at KKT Labs, sunscreens are considered over-the-counter drugs with specific testing guidelines that they have to follow and adhere to. All sunscreens, Koestline says, are required to have expiry dates listed to enter the market and the sunscreen itself has to work up until that specified date.
If there isn’t an expiry date listed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the manufacturer must prove that the product can remain stable for three years. Then it can be considered expired three years after the date of purchase.
Expiration dates may differ based on formulation. Hadley King, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, says that the formula for physical sunscreens (a.k.a. mineral sunscreens) are considered more stable than chemical sunscreens, and thus have longer shelf lives. She explains that physical sunscreens that include ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide won’t change their molecular structure when exposed to light and keep ingredients stable longer than those found in chemical sunscreens, which consist of more unstable molecules and can oxidize over time.
When sunscreens expire can even differ based on the type you choose. King says a powder sunscreen contains minerals that are more stable and longer lasting while liquid formulations will be less stable. But you can expect sunscreens in general to last anywhere between two to three years.
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