Does Sunscreen Expire?
See if it’s time to swap out your sunscreen for a new one
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Although sunscreen is meant to be used year-round, most people don’t think much about it until they’re ready to trade jackets and long sleeves for T-shirts and bathing suits. But is the half-used or unopened lotion or spray you’ve had hanging around since last September still okay for you to use now? Or does sunscreen expire?
Sunscreen does have a shelf life, but it’s a long one. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates sunscreens, mandates that sunscreens be formulated to stay stable and effective for three years. And they will remain so, even if the container has been opened. “Opening a sunscreen doesn’t cause it to expire any faster. Provided it’s been stored at room temperature, it will maintain its level of protection if it is still in that three-year window,” says Susan Booth, the project leader for sunscreen testing at Consumer Reports. “We have retested sunscreen samples from previous years’ testing after storing them in our lab and found no differences in performance.”
Top-Rated Sunscreens From CR’s Tests
If your sunscreen has expired and you’re looking to buy a new one, check out CR’s ratings of over 70 sunscreens, or the best mineral and spray sunscreens if you know which type you prefer. Below, we highlight four highly rated sunscreens from our tests, listed in alphabetical order.