You might be wondering “does sunscreen expire if not opened?” “What happens if you wear expired sunscreen” “does sunscreen go bad in the heat?”. This article will give you the answers to all those questions are more
Sunscreen is a necessity in everyone’s life. This is true whatever shade you are, whatever type of environment you live in or if you will be at the beach that today. Sunscreen is an important aspect of your everyday life. Dermatologists, estheticians and our moms agree that sunscreen is a necessity.
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What exactly does sunscreen do?
Sunscreens are products that offer your skin protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun. The sun emits both UVA and UVB rays onto the earth. UVA’s are the rays that age us, and UVB rays are the rays that burn the skin. Sunscreens are able to keep the UV rays from damaging your skin. The type of sunscreens that can protect you against both types of rays is called broad spectrum.
Sunscreens, if used daily, will be able to prevent you from ageing prematurely and they will also protect from sunburn and cancer. If you are an adult applying sunscreen the amount you should use on your whole body should be able to fill up a shot glass. Whether you decide to use a physical or chemical sunscreen is your personal choice. This is an effective and well-loved sunscreen.
Does sunscreen expire?
By law, in order for a sunscreen to be deemed as safe enough to be sold to the public the food and drug administration requires sunscreen to retain its initial strength for a period of three years.
So yes, sunscreen does expire but it’s still safe to use within 3 years of production. If the sunscreen has an expiration date written on it then you need to get rid of it by that date. This applies even if the expiration is within three years.
That being said, recently expired sunscreen is better than no sunscreen. If you find that you have no access to any type of sunscreen (expired or not expired) then you can cover up to protect your skin from the sun. This is one of many great ways too naturally protect yourself from the sun. Read more about how to naturally protect against the sun here.
Does sunscreen expire if not opened?
Yes, sunscreen does expire if not opened. If you don’t open the sunscreen and the sunscreen goes past the expiration date the ingredients will still degrade. It all comes down to the amount of time the sunscreen exists.
How can you tell if your sunscreen is expired (if there is no date on it)
If you’re not sure about the expiration date you can call the products customer service and let them know what code is printed on the sunscreen. With this information, they’ll be able to let you know if your sunscreen has expired or not.
You can also check if the sunscreen is expired by looking to see if the sunscreen has changed since the last time you saw it. If the sunscreen is off then the sunscreen will crystalize and begin to separate, this separation releases a horrible odour.
This smell can also mean that the sunscreen has been contaminated with bacteria. In addition to this, it will have a clumping consistency, different from its naturally smooth texture.
What happens if you used expired sunscreen?
Sunscreen needs to maintain it’s original condition for it to fully protect you from the sun’s harmful rays. If the sunscreen is degraded, it won’t fully protect the skin. The skin will be exposed to the UVA and the UVB rays of the sun. This can cause burns, other types of sun damage or even cancer. That being said, it’s better to use a sunscreen that is expired over no sunscreen at all because expired sunscreen does offer some sun protection.
Does sunscreen go bad in the heat?
If sunscreen is exposed to heat then the key components that make the sunscreen effective will break down. This will bring the expiration date of the sunscreen closer. The same effect can also happen if the sunscreen is exposed to moisture. That is why sunscreen labels suggest you keep it in a cool dark place.
Sunscreen tips and tricks:
There are many ways to prevent your sunscreen from looking oily and shiny. If you want to know how then click this link.
You need to remember to apply your sunscreen more than once a day. For the best sun protection, you should replay the sunscreen every 2 hours.
You should be using your sunscreen often enough for it to run out within a year. This is also a good reminder to change the sunscreen.
If you’re wearing makeup you can opt for a powdered sunscreen, this is great as it can be applied over the makeup. Alternatively, you can also apply sunscreen just before makeup and just after your moisturiser.
Always go for a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or more for it to be effective. The SPF 15 sunscreens won’t cut it, read more here.
How long does sunscreen last when applied?
If you’re outside, whether you’re outside while the sun is out or the clouds are out, your sunscreen will only last for 2 hours. The suns rays are able to penetrate, shine through the clouds and degrade the sunscreen.
Over the 2 hours, your sunscreen will be degraded by the sun and won’t offer you the same sun protection it would have at the beginning of the two hours. By the time the 2 hours are up a sunscreen of 50 will give you the same sun protection that an SPF 10 sunscreen would give you.
Not only does the sun degrade your sunscreen but sunscreen can be removed by sweat, rubbing against the skin and being in the water.
What can you do with old sunscreen?
If you have an old expired sunscreen that you don’t want to use anymore then you need to dispose of it. If you throw it in the trash the sunscreen will wind up in a landfill.
This may not sit well with you. If not then you can take it to a drop off facility that processes sunscreen. If you’re using a sunscreen that contains toxic ingredients there is a safe place to dispose of it: The great sunscreen trade-in project. This initiative converts your toxic sunscreens and turns them into powder.
How do you know if the lotion is expired?
Everything goes bad except water, lotion goes bad too. You’ll know if your lotion has expired if it has lost its normal consistency. The chemicals in the product start to break down as it expires and using it on your skin won’t be effective. When it expires the ingredients lose their ability to boost collagen in your skin and to hydrate your skin.
Why do you have to wait 15 minutes after applying sunscreen?
You need to wait 15 minutes after applying sunscreen because you need to give the sunscreen time to absorb into the skin. Just like you’d need to wait to let lotion sink into the skin before putting clothes on the same can be said for sunscreen. If you don’t let it dry and sink in then the sunscreen can transfer onto your clothes and this will leave you with an uneven sunscreen application.
How do I know what SPF to use?
When picking a sunscreen you need to consider 3 things: if it’s board spectrum, the sun protection factor and the ingredients in the sunscreen
Broad-spectrum: If you want the best sun protection you need to pick a sunscreen that can protect against both the UVA and the UVB rays of the sun.
Sunscreens that protect against both these rays are called broad-spectrum. UVA rays can make you age faster and can contribute to you developing skin cancer. UVB rays can cause burning of the skin and can also cause skin cancers.
Sun protection factor: These are the SPF ratings on sunscreens. The recommended SPF we need to use is SPF 30. Higher SPF sunscreens do offer more protection but only marginally.
We generally don’t apply enough sunscreen on our face and body so using a sunscreen with a higher SPF is beneficial because it helps to make up for not using enough sunscreen
Ingredients: There are toxic ingredients which are still included in many sunscreen formulations. When purchasing a sunscreen you need to make sure you pick a sunscreen that does not contain these toxic ingredients as they can harm you or the environment.
What chemicals in sunscreen are bad?
Oxybenzone: This ingredient has been widely used in sunscreen formulations but in more recent times fewer and fewer companies are using it. It has been shown to harm and kill coral reefs. If that isn’t bad enough it can also harm humans as well, oxybenzone is a hormone disruptor.
Octinoxate: This ingredient is banned in Hawaii because similarly to oxybenzone it damages coral reefs. The ingredient can cause harm and irritation to your skin. It can cause allergies in humans and it can negatively affect the thyroid and reproductive system of animals
Avobenzone: This widely used ingredient in sunscreen should be avoided. The chemical can cause hormone disruptions in humans and it can also cause irritation on the skin. In addition, this ingredient isn’t stable, it has to mixed in with other toxic ingredients to stabilise it
Retinol Palmitate: Just like the well-loved product retinol, Retinol Palmitate is a type of vitamin A. Unfortunately when this ingredient is exposed to the suns rays it can damage your skin. Naturally, this ingredient is an antioxidant but when the sun hits it the ingredient creates free radicals which damage your skin.
What is the safest sunscreen?
The safest sunscreen is the Sun Bum Original Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30. This sunscreen not only protects your skin from the harmful rays of the sun but it does this in a safe way.
The sunscreen contains no octinoxate or oxybenzone making it safe for coral reefs and safe for your skin. In addition, it is a moisturising, broad-spectrum and free from comedogenic ingredients so it won’t clog your pores. It also contains vitamin E which will nourish your skin.
Do I need to wear sunscreen if I work inside all day?
No, you don’t need to wear sunscreen if you work inside all day but you may go outside more often than you think and thus will need sunscreen.
Running errands in and out the office can give you incidental sun damage if you aren’t wearing sunscreen at those times of the day. This sun damage can add up as time goes on. If you apply the sunscreen daily you won’t have to think about applying it when you pop out the office.
If you’re working near a window, and suns rays are shining on you, then you definitely need to wear sunscreen. In addition, you should alternate between which side of your face is exposed to the sun. This will prevent you from getting too sun damaged on one side of your face.
Is sunscreen spray or lotion better?
Lotion sunscreen is the better option. Yes, spray sunscreen is more convenient and more fun to use but there are some drawbacks to using spray sunscreen that you should take note of.
One drawback about using spray sunscreen is that you can accidentally inhale the fumes as you use it. When used on the skin spray sunscreens are harmless but when inhaled they are toxic.
In addition, if you’re using a lotion, you’re at an advantage because you can target the product better and are aware of how much sunscreen you’re actually using on your skin. If you only spray your sunscreen for a few seconds you may get a false sense of security as you use the sunscreen
What’s the difference between sunscreen and suntan lotion?
Suntan lotions are products made to give you some sun protection. Unfortunately, they not offer adequate sun protection. The sun protection offered by suntan lotions is very low. They usually offer an SPF of around 8-15, this is a far cry from the SPF we need of 30. The premise is that it allows you to tan while being somewhat protected from the sun.
Sunscreens are products that protect your skin from the sun by absorbing the suns rays. Just like suntan lotion, it’s possible for sunscreens to have a low of SPF but people usually use sunscreens with an SPF of 30, 50 100.
Sunscreens can be formulated to be broad spectrum. Sunscreen formulations can also be hypoallergenic, this makes them perfect for people with sensitive skin. In some cases, sunscreens are designed to be waterproof.
Is UVA or UVB worse?
Both these rays can damage your skin in very serious ways so no one can be considered worse than the other. Both these rays affect the skin cells on the top layer of skin. The rays are created by sunlight or tanning beds and both can result in some sort of cancer.
The difference between the two is that UVA rays can result in premature ageing and UVB rays can result in burning of the skin. You should protect against both types of rays, to do this use a broad spectrum screen like this one
Why can’t infants use sunscreen?
Babies are extremely fragile and their skin is also extremely fragile. A babies skin only matures fully when the baby reaches 32 weeks old. If you’re dealing with a premature baby then this time is longer than 32 weeks.
Babies skin isn’t matured so it’s extremely sensitive to anything you put on it. The skin is extremely fragile and permeable. If you use a sunscreen on your baby’s skin their skin can really become irritated and can even develop a rash. Worst-case scenario the baby can get systemic chemical toxicity.
If you really need to use a sunscreen on your baby then you should look for a physical sunscreen (a mineral-based sunscreen). These sunscreens use titanium oxide or zinc oxide to protect the skin. They are a better choice because there’s minimal sunscreen absorption into the skin and this will minimise the chances of a rash or irritation.
I hope you enjoyed this article looking at if sunscreen expires if it’s not opened and other sunscreen questions. If you enjoyed the article please share it.
