Does sunscreen expire?

Yes, sunscreen can expire, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives a clear rule for bottles with no date on them. Checking your bottle takes seconds and can save you from paying for a new one too soon.

The rule for bottles with no date

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration puts it this way: That means a sunscreen product that doesn’t have an expiration date should be considered expired three years after purchase.

So write the month you bought it on the bottle with a marker. That one habit costs nothing and removes the guessing.

The FDA and AAD sunscreen pages

The rule above comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration page on how to help protect your skin from the sun. The American Academy of Dermatology covers sun protection and how to select a sunscreen. DermNet's page on sun protection is another free reference.

Marking the date versus stretching an old bottle

Marking a purchase date and checking the label are simple and cheap. Stretching a bottle past its date to save money is the step to avoid.

A skin spot that is new or changing

If a spot on your skin is new, changing or does not heal, see a dermatologist. This site is written for Madera and the county around it, with Madera Acres and Fairmead on separate place pages, and that advice holds in all of them.

Choosing a sunscreen once the date is sorted

Once the date is sorted, readers want to know how to pick a sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology page above on selecting a sunscreen is the place to begin, and this site also answers what SPF to use every day.