Suntan Lotion -- expiration?

[Hunnybee]

Hello!

This may be a strange question, but ... how long is suntan lotion generally good for? We're leaving for WDW on Saturday. My children and I are VERY fair-skinned -- so we need lots of protection. Some of my suntan lotion does not have an expiration date on it.

Thanks!

 

[kaw1218]

About 2 years.... so if you don't remember when you bought it, it is best to throw it out and buy new.

 

[lil mermaid]

About 2 years.... so if you don't remember when you bought it, it is best to throw it out and buy new.

I agree. I finally wised up and now when I buy it, I write the date on it with a sharpie because I never remember when I bought it.

 

[Savsmommy]

I just bought the Disney's Sun Pals Sunblock and there's an expiration on the bottom that says 12/07.

 

[Hunnybee]

Thanks for the info.!

I like the idea of writing when you buy it on the bottom with a sharpie.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

I used to work for the skin cancer program in our area doing community education. You should buy new sunscreen every year. Once it is opened it is only good for 1 yr (NOT the expiration date). The expiration date lets retailers know when to pull from the shelves. A good habit is to check expirations when you buy b/c many retailers leave it on the shelf even if its expired. We buy chapstick w/ SPF. Also, don't forget to put it on the tops of ears & feet. And the back of hands. Old age spots are actually skin damage from the sun. Put it on 30 min - 1 hr before going out. It needs time to take effect. And it is only works for a certain period of time & then even if you put more on you WILL get burned. It is good to reapply when getting out of the water, but any other time will not give you more time in the sun. You can go to the American Cancer Society website. If they have a branch near you, they have all kinds of booklets & fliers & even fun stuff for kids. I thinks its called slip, slap, slop.

 

[NotUrsula]

I agree; replace any that you opened last summer. Also, be careful how you store the stuff; excess heat will kill the effectiveness more quickly. If you stored the beach bag in a boat or in the trunk of your car for more than a couple of days in summertime, that sunblock has been overcooked.

Always buy broad spectrum sunblock, but pick whatever formula is easiest for you to reapply -- the biggest reason that sunblock doesn't work as it should is that people don't use nearly enough of it, and don't bother to reapply as often as they should. You should be using at least an ounce every time, which means that for a full day out in the sun, the average adult should use up an entire 6 oz. bottle. For a week at WDW, my family of 3 goes through about a dozen bottles.

I recommend fine-mist sprays, because you can easily reapply often. No matter how good it is, it won't help you if you don't use it religiously.

 

[audrey13]

We're leaving for WDW on Saturday.

We are leaving on Saturday from Michigan too! Do you fly out of Detroit? Maybe we'll be on the same flight!

By the way, good question. I should probably go buy some more sunscreen for our trip.

Audrey

 

[Hunnybee]

Thanks for the information! I'm learning a lot here.

Audrey, no, we're flying out of O'Hare. We're on the western side so it's actually quicker for us to get to Chicago than to Detroit. We live very near Grand Rapids, but the flights are always more expensive out of there. Have a wonderful trip! It looks like it will be hot down there when we're there!

 

[famofsix]

We bought our sunscreen at Big Lots 2.99 a bottle. It worked great and was not expired. Unless you know what brand you all like you might want to spot check it before the trip. We can only use certain brands because some irrate our skin. Banana Boat works for us and it comes in 30 and 15 block And yes we all smelled like bananas all week BUT we never got burned...reapply often.

 

[lovmy2girls]

I don't know if this is true for all brands, but at the end of one summer, I had bought a bottle, and used only a little put it in our swim bag. Next summer, since I had almost a full bottle left over I just reused it. WE all got burned. It must have gone bad, I don't know. I always buy new now at the beginning of summer. Its just not worth saving a few dollars to get burned.