How long is the shelf life of sunscreen?

Because summer is coming soon and the weather is getting hotter day by day, everyone starts looking for various ways to protect themselves from the sun, especially sunscreen skin care products that will be kept in a pile at home. But in fact, the shelf life of sunscreen is very important. The shelf life itself is relatively short. If you buy too much at one time and cannot use it up, you can keep it at home for up to five years.

Experts say: If you don’t use up the sunscreen this year, the sun protection effect will be greatly reduced next year. It is best to use up the sunscreen after opening within the same year.

Generally speaking, the shelf life of sunscreen is three years, and some can be as long as five years. Many people will continue using sunscreen next year if they don’t finish it this year. There are even people who have used a bottle of sunscreen for three years and still haven’t finished it.

Experts say that although sunscreen is a must-have skin care product for women in summer, some people even stockpile several bottles, thinking that if they can't use them up this year, they can use them next year and it won't be wasted. Little do people know that this practice will not only cause sunburn to the skin, but also easily cause dermatitis. Although the shelf life marked on the sunscreen bottle is 3 or even 5 years, the most stable and effective period after opening is one year. After one year, the effectiveness of the sunscreen contained in it will be greatly reduced, and it will basically not provide the sun protection effect as marked. It is easy to get tanned if you apply such sunscreen, and you are more likely to get sunburned if you go to places with strong ultraviolet rays.

Although sunscreen products from the previous year will not necessarily have side effects on the skin, sunscreen with diminished effectiveness may not achieve the expected sun protection effect and can easily cause the skin to turn red, darken, or even get damaged under direct sunlight.

It is best to use up sunscreen within one year after opening. If you think it is a pity to throw away sunscreen after one year, you can apply it on your hands, feet, etc., which will still have a certain sun protection effect. Therefore, when purchasing, you can choose sunscreen products with a closer production date.

Another thing to be reminded is that you should apply a layer of moisturizer before applying sunscreen, and try not to let it come into direct contact with the skin. This can both add some moisture to the skin and reduce irritation to the skin.

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