Do you have to buy new sun cream every summer?

[marthamoo]

I have loads left from last year but always buy 'fresh' supplies every summer. I have it in my head that it loses its efficacy over time - but I don't know if I've read that somewhere or just made it up. It doesn't have a Use By date on it, does it?

So...am I doing the right thing or wasting my money?

I used to think that it losts its efficancy over time, then my sister told me that it was about half in a year and then last year she told me it didn't lose any at all?????

i think they say 18 months and you should replace.... well thats what i do anyway!

All the suncream I have has an expiry date on it (usually on the bottom of the bottle). The stuff I have bought this year doesn't expire until late 2007.
That does assume though that it is kept in good condition. If it warms up the active ingredients can split from the carrier cream so I keep it in the fridge at home and in the cool bag when out and about.

I don't often use sunblock as my skin and that of my children is not very sensitive, but I have an Australian dh and MIL who obsessively buy sunblock for us. The consequence is I have an entire box full of various products which, when I do use it, I carefully use in order of age. Last year, I finished up a tube given to me 7 years previously. I suppose I don't know about future cancer risks, but I can definitely say that the creams I use do not lose their ability to prevent burning.

I have eben told by a colleague that it's half as effective a year later

Certainly we used some of lst yr's on ds1 (very fair) earlier this year and he went really red and itchy

Bought some new now, bargain in Asda!

I was told that suncream does loose 50% of its factor every year, don't know if it does but we generally buy new cream every year.

Really? Told by whom? The makers of the cream or someone with no vested interest? If that is true, it just goes to show my children don't need the stuff in the first place.

We use the Soltan range by Boots, after contacting them, they have advised that it should be ok for 18 months to 2 years, as long as its kept in a cool place.

lonelymum you are very lucky that yr children don't need sunblock.
Actually my ds2 seems to go brown as a berry even with factor 40 on, but ds1 certainly goes bright red without it.
So do I and dh so I guess it's hereditary (doesn't explain ds2 tho....[shifty emoticon - now how brown is the postman?? )

I am lucky clary, and my children are too. I think sensitive and non sensitive skin can occur pretty much in any family. My sister has very fair skin that burns easily - she is the only one in my immediate family though. Dh also is very fair but none of his children have inherited his skin. I can assure you I wasn't with the postman!