2-year old suncream - to use or not to use? That is the question!

[runner2]

I have a few bottles of Nivea Factor 20 and Factor 30 "Light Feeling" sun lotion, which I'm pretty sure are just over 2 years old. I know there's a lot of debate about whether it's ok to use them after a year, and these bottles have a 12 months symbol on them... With the weather here hotting up (at last!) and with a holiday in Croatia coming up in August, I don't know whether to ditch these or not. Can anyone advise, please?

[TrobadoraBeatrice]

Have they been opened? If so, definitely bin. If unopened then I think they would be fine - or at least, I would use them, but I don't often burn. You've just reminded me to buy some new suncream too!

[SirVixofVixHall]

Ditch them. The active ingredients break down over time, unless they are mineral only types. You really need new sunblock every year.

[FrugalFashionista]

From Nivea's FAQ page on Amazon:

What is the average shelf life of a NIVEA product? Can you safely use last years left over’s?
Cosmetic legislation specifies that if a product has a shelf life greater that 30 months then there is no need for a ‘best before’ date on the pack. All NIVEA Sun protection products, when stored properly, have a minimum shelf life of 30 months. On the back of the bottle there will be a small symbol that will tell you how long the product will last once opened. The symbol is a small opened jar indicating a time period (for example 12M). The ‘12 ‘stands for the number of months and ‘M’ is the unit of month. Once opened, the product can be used for the corresponding number of months.

[runner2]

Ok I'm going to bin them - out with the old, in with the new! Many thanks for your help everyone