Beware of expired sunscreen – how to recognize that it has lost its properties?

Stronger sun and higher temperatures are an incentive to sunbathe. In such a situation, we usually take out a bottle of sunscreen from the previous season from the cupboard and apply it to the skin. But is this really a good solution? Tanning creams and oils lose their properties over time. So how can we check whether our previous vacation still protects us from the sun?

Sunscreens, like medicines and cosmetics, have an expiration date. Over time, they lose their protective properties, so it is worth paying attention to this, because it may turn out that instead of additional protection against the sun, we will get a burn.

How to tell if your sunscreen is expired?

The basic criterion for suitability will still be the date printed on the packaging.

However, if we find ourselves in a situation where we have leftover tanning oil from last year and poured it into a smaller package without an expiration date printed on it, we can try to assess its usefulness in a different way.

Apart from the expiration date, an important criterion in the assessment is the consistency of the cream.

The one that has lost its properties may smell different and have a different consistency than the original one.

If such a situation happens to us and the sunscreen we want to use arouses our suspicions: it becomes too watery, lumps appear in the skin or it starts to smell strange, it should be thrown away.

This is a sign that it has most likely lost its properties.

Can you use expired tanning oil?

Various manufacturers state that sunscreens and sunscreen oils maintain their full effectiveness for six to 12 months after opening unless the expiration date on the packaging states otherwise.

Expired suntan oil no longer has any properties that protect us against UV radiation. Moreover, under the influence of temperature, humidity or other external factors, it may irritate the skin.

This means that it is not recommended to use sunscreens that are expired but have been left open for more than a year.