Last year's suncream

[Honeymum]

Does it deteriorate? I've just spent a fortune in Boots (2 for 1!) but I'm wondering if I can use last year's?

Cosmetic products have to have a shelf-life of 3 years in order to meet EU standards, unless they have an expiration date on them.

It does deteriorate. My dh got badly burned one year from using old stuff. It has to be kept cool, so can be inactivated if it's been left in a hot car, for example. I now keep ours in a cool bag with the food/drinks when we go out, and store it in the fridge. HTH

Good tip eemie, I'll make sure I store mine in the fridge (and I'll always be able to find it too!).

I have a bottle of Asda's here which is at least 12 months old and it actually has a use-by date on it - 13/05/06.

I've got a feeling mine have use by dates on....

They feel really nice in hot weather if they are stored in the fridge too

I've used mine year on year with no adverse affects (that I know of) but in any case you can get Nivea very cheap at Tesco (last time I looked anyway) so maybe its not worth it!

I use last year's sun cream for "home" use and buy fresh for holidays abroad.

The ones with "use by" dates are there probably because the manufacturer is selling the product before they have 3 years' of stability data on it. Chances are that it will be good for more than three years, but they just can't prove it yet.

Good point about high temperatures - this will accelerate product aging - and the three year guarantee is for room temperature product. A product from a reputable manufacturer should be able to withstand higher temperatures for a short time, especially if higher temperatures are part of normal use for the product.

A Google on sunscreen shelf-life should reassure. The only one on the first page of hits saying that you should only use a sunscreen for one season is from a company that is selling a cover-up.

Hmm, I thought the info that I heard last year - "you must buy fresh sunscreen every year, becos it deteriorates" - had a smell of marketing spin about it.

Yes, it does, Easy. If a manufacturer is saying that the product needs to be replaced, then it should have an expiration date. If it doesn't have that, then they should be able to prove a 3-year shelf life. That's the law.

The product should look and smell OK, and if it doesn't, you should send it back to the manufacturer for a refund.

I "cycle" mine same as SoupDragon.

Was told by very helpfull assistant in Boots that if unopened, stored in a cool dark place it has a shelf life of 3 years. If iot has been opened it has a life of 12months

Last year's suncream can be used as aftersun but not suncream anymore.

To comply with the EU Cosmetics Directive, all product, opened and unopened has to have a shelf-life of 3+ years, or an expiration date.

Happydaddy, where did your aftersun theory come from? The sunscreen chemicals are very stable - if there is any concern about the formula (say due to leaving it in a hot car), then it's the basic emulsion (ie moisturising lotion) that is likely to crack.

but dahling it's sooooo last year - surely you need this season's suncream