Sunblock Expiration Date

[cindyo]

I am only posting this because we just threw out a lot of expired sun screen. Aruba is NOT the place you want "dead" sunscreen. Check the printed exp date on the bottles. Sometimes they are in some wierd code. Go to the web site of the sunscreen and pull up their codes. For example, Hawaiian tropic, has their own lingo, and we found several bottles that had expired a yr ago. Sounds stupid, I know, but heck, I 'd rather go on vacation with a fresh bottle than a dead one..Also, call the manuf. phone and ask them for their codes.

[Arubalisa]

Excellent info to know, thank you!

[rob o]

Hawaiian Tropic example...
6235E
6 refers to year of manufacture, in this example 2006
E refers to month, 5th month is May (by the way, they skip some letters, like I)
Thus, made in May 2006
Good for three years....until May 2009
There will be a test as follows:
7568K....when does it expire....class?

[Andrea J.]

answer: it never expires. it's like that margarine that is really not even a food product, never expires, rot, curdles etc..
is that correct?
:eek: andrea

Hawaiian Tropic example...
6235E
6 refers to year of manufacture, in this example 2006
E refers to month, 5th month is May (by the way, they skip some letters, like I)
Thus, made in May 2006
Good for three years....until May 2009
There will be a test as follows:
7568K....when does it expire....class?

[phillyboater]

Not so sure it does not expire. Wife developed a rash from expired sunscreen in November in Aruba. Switched to fresh Aruba Aloe and problem disappeared. Chemicals can change as they age, especially if temperatures vary or exposed to direct sunlight.

[rob o]

I am still waiting for a correct answer.....anyone else want to try?

[corona]

My mother-in-law bought a brand name sunscreen at a deep discount store. When she got home, she saw that it had expired. She called the company, and they told her that it wouldn't harm her, but that it might not be as effective. They sent her a coupon for a new bottle. So, especially traveling to someplace with the kind of intense sun you get in Aruba, I would only take fresh sunscreen.

My son got a rash once after using sunscreen, and it was a new bottle, nobody else was affected, and it was also a well known brand. It was really strange, but it never happened again.

[Arubalisa]

My son got a rash once after using sunscreen, and it was a new bottle, nobody else was affected, and it was also a well known brand. It was really strange, but it never happened again.
Dd came down with a red rash twice in the Caribbean (once Aruba). I read an article that this can sometimes come from sunscreen which has too high of an SPF. We switched her from spf 48 to 30 and <<knock on wood>> no more troubles.

[corona]

Thanks Lisa....that may be the cause (high spf sunscreen). Again, my mother-in-law, who is really afraid of sunburn. I'm sure it was a very high spf sunsreen that she used on hiim. Great to know.

[Chadd]

If you use reef safe or biodegradable sunblock, always remember to check the expiration date. Bad things can happen if you don't. Excuse me while I go ice down my body before dinner at WW.

[Liz - Aruba Lover]

Ouch.
Good advice.

[wildewoman]

For the Aruba sun - I go for the good (expensive) 75 SPF block & just keep putting it on!!

Last time we had not problems & we did an all day ATV tour - I was afraid my legs would get fried - but the block worked great!! Then that night we used the "after sun aloe" they gave us at the Surf Club.

[Chadd]

Most retail sunblock is not good for coral reefs and since I spend so much time in the water it's usually easier to just take the one type.

[mjn109]

I didn't even know that kind of sunblock existed. Hmm, makes me think. I swear by Hawiian Tropic. I start out my week in Aruba with SPF 8 protective tanning, and work my way down to 4. I am sure I will have horrible skin when I get older, but I think that there is no tan like an Aruban tan...I live in CT and I HAVE to come home with a good tan to make all my pasty white New England friends jealous in January!:cool:

[cindyo]

You especially have to watch the expiration dates On Hawaiian tropic. They have a wierd code on the bottom of their bottles and you can't read the exp dates unless you know their code...no kidding..we found out the hard way, really hard way with our daughter.
Also, HT just changed all their bottles, so if you use thier products go for the newest bottles on the shelf, all new product and newest dates.

[Andrea J.]

we have used panama jack "reef friendly" although it does not say reef friendly on it. it may say something on it like eco friendly etc...
we only use it when snorkeling.
the stuff is terrible. it looks and feels like zinc oxide and it is just like rubbing cream cheese over ones body. it is think and white and hard to rub in.


I didn't even know that kind of sunblock existed. Hmm, makes me think. I swear by Hawiian Tropic. I start out my week in Aruba with SPF 8 protective tanning, and work my way down to 4. I am sure I will have horrible skin when I get older, but I think that there is no tan like an Aruban tan...I live in CT and I HAVE to come home with a good tan to make all my pasty white New England friends jealous in January!:cool:

[wildewoman]

I didn't even know that kind of sunblock existed. Hmm, makes me think. I swear by Hawiian Tropic. I start out my week in Aruba with SPF 8 protective tanning, and work my way down to 4. I am sure I will have horrible skin when I get older, but I think that there is no tan like an Aruban tan...I live in CT and I HAVE to come home with a good tan to make all my pasty white New England friends jealous in January!:cool:


I was like you when I was 30!! Now at 51 (and having had little pre-cancerous growths removed) I wear the strongest I can find & a hat!!

I didn't know there was special block to protect the reefs. CHAD - can you get it an pharmacy - or just in Aruba??

[corona]

Thanks for the tip, Chadd. I was unaware that there was a reef friendly sunblock. I did happen to know to check expiration dates, but it was only because my mother-in-law told me a few years ago after she unknowingly bought some out of date sunblock at a discount/closeout store.

On one of our Aruba trips, I decided to be economical and buy the pharmacy brand of sunscreen. We figured right away that it might not offer the kind of protection we normally got from the brand names because it was thin. We were right. The kids and I ended up with slight burns the first day. Lesson learned.

[Chadd]

I didn't know there was special block to protect the reefs. CHAD - can you get it an pharmacy - or just in Aruba??
We purchased it online, there are a number of brands. They all go on fairly thick, especially if you put it on indoors.

[danadog56]

Chadd...do u use reef friendly sunblock all the time or just when snorkeling??? And what if you are just out snorkeling like we do up past the kitesurfing area....it is by the coral upcropping, but not actually on live coral....does it hurt the marine life ???

[Chadd]

I usually use it all the time so I don't have to bring multiple bottles/varieties, I'm lazy like that. Just because the nearest coral is dead doesn't mean that the chemicals won't impact the live stuff a couple hundred yards farther off shore.

[lrealnurse]

Sun block is on sale this week at CVS. Buy one get the other one 50% off...
I think I will need to stock up.. Irish girl tends to burn....

Lisa

[Andrea J.]

i bought the sunblock BOGO and then got a coupon using the CVS card as $5.00 off any CVS product purchase. So, i bought more!

[KATH2ME]

Wow, I've got to get to CVS, thanks Lisa

[Arubalisa]

An excellent reminder! :)

[Andrea J.]

the aerosol sunscreen is incredibly wasteful especially when using in the aruba "winds".
we do use that aerosol stuff sometimes and give ourselves a spray down before heading out to the pool or beach.
there is also alcohol in that product which is very drying to one's skin.

[ConnieNBPT]

October 2010????

[Terry Joz]

made in 2007
month august
mfgd. august 2007
expires 2013

just a guess!!

[Arubalisa]

U.S. Sunscreens Get Flunking Grade for UVA Protection
http://www.ewg.org/Sunscreens-Get-Flunking-Grade-for-UVA-Protection
Some good food for thought. Scroll down towards the bottom of the article for "UVA star" ratings

[sunworshipperII]

OH maybe oct 2010

[MarthaC]

Thanks Lisa!

[ejversia]

I think it expired in October 2010 unless the 7 is 97???

[floresjackie8]

Hi thank you. Glad i found this forum before I went on a summer beach vacation

[Andrea J.]

re: Sunblock/Sunscreen expirations

TAMPA - Attorney Sarah Younger spends most of her days in an office in downtown Tampa. But as a Florida child, she grew up outside in the sun. “I used to go to the beach all the time," she said.

And she admits she would often get burned. "I thought that I would never get skin cancer that young. I thought that’s something you get when you're older, when your skin peels a thousand times."

But after doctors diagnosed her mom with melanoma, Sarah started getting her skin checked every six months. "I have freckles everywhere, and this was a very normal freckle and we hesitated taking it off. It came back melanoma.”

Luckily, they caught the cancer early before it had spread. “I believe God was watching over me that day." And now? “I never walk out of the door without sunscreen."

We asked her if she ever bothers to stop and look at ingredients or expiration dates? “To be honest, I've never even thought about it. Never even looked."

But does it matter?

We asked Sarah's doctor, Doctor Panos Vasiloudes, if sunscreen actually expires. "Yes, it does. Everything expires. There’s a lifetime to every chemical and biological agent. There is decomposition."

Doctor Vasiloudes says you should use up a bottle in 2 months. And throw it out if it's older than a year old. But who does that?

Doctor Vasiloudes says, "In general, there's no expiration date on bottles and the manufacturers are not required to do that. Some of the more established companies like Coppertone use a label system."

But if there is no expiration date, how can you tell if sunscreen is no longer effective? Dermatologist Henry Wiley says, "There really isn't a good way of knowing whether sunscreen is expired or not. Some of them might have expiration dates but whether those are valid depends on the conditions on which the sunscreens are stored. Generally speaking, when heat is added to any kind of chemical mix, more reactions occur, so the hotter the environment is, the less time a sunscreen is going to last."

We conducted an unscientific test using old or expired sunscreen versus new sunscreen to see if we could see a difference. We didn't pick on any particular products, just used the old sunscreen my fellow employees offered up.

Hope Scheneider put on old but not expired Banana Boat and a new one with the same SPF 15 and the same ingredients.

Johanna Rodriquez put on Banana Boat SPF 4 old and new.

Robin Mills put on a five year old Panama Jack SPF 15 and a new sunscreen with the same SPF and ingredients.

And Randy Hilgeman put on expired Publix SPF 50 and new Publix SPF 50.

The volunteers put new sunscreen on their right arms and the old sunscreen on their left arms and then sat out in the sun to bake for 45 minutes.

The results? 24 hours later, none of our volunteers saw a difference.

So we did the test again - for an hour and a half this time - and got basically the same results, except for Johanna whose old sunscreen arm was noticeably darker. "And it’s like a different tone -- more of an orange than [the other] one."

So what's the take-away from all this?

Both Doctor Vasiloudes and Doctor Wiley say even if you don’t have sunburn, you could be doing damage you'll see later. Short-wave or UVB rays cause sunburn but long wave or UVA rays go deeper and cause damage that ages us or causes melanomas. So, if a sunscreen is over a year old, or you don't know how old it is, both doctors say throw it out.

Because heat can affect the chemicals in some sunscreens, don't keep it in cars, sports bags or anywhere in a hot garage.

Also, Wiley says, look at active ingredients. “Zinc oxide and titanium oxide are basically inert minerals and as such they don't really deteriorate with time. There are another dozen or so chemicals are approved by the FDA most sunscreens are a combination of those chemicals which can eventually break down.

[Arubalisa]

I have looked high and low for expiration dates on the side of the Coppertone Oil Free that we use and cannot see one. :(

[Andrea J.]

we have been going thru a spray can a week for the last 2 months.
using the WALMART / EQUATE brand Sport #50 spf and the ingredients are avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone. NO EXP DATE.
Geesh :-(
We leave the cans of spray block in our pool bags 24/7 except when we are spraying down.
From now on, once we spray down the cans of block stay in the house.

[qlaval]

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/cm/cosmopolitan/images/redesign/logos_headers/qa/q.gifWill my leftover sunscreen from last year still be effective?

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/cm/cosmopolitan/images/redesign/logos_headers/qa/a.gifCheck to see if your bottle of sunscreen is stamped with an expiration date. If you don't see a date, the rule of thumb is that the active ingredients in sunscreen (like zinc, titanium dioxide and Parsol 1789) should remain stable and effective for about three years, according to David Leffell, M.D., professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. But if it smells funny, feels lumpy or has a bizarro color, dump it. To keep your sunscreenas close to new as possible, store it in a dry spot at room temperature with the lid tightly fastened


Read more: Sunscreen Expiration - Does Sunscreen Expire - Cosmopolitan (http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/how-to/sunscreen-expiration#ixzz1NzFkCjGu)

[Arubalisa]

I have looked high and low for expiration dates on the side of the Coppertone Oil Free that we use and cannot see one. :(
Okay, I just looked over my sunscreen again. My latest shipment from drugstore.com, most of the bottles of Coppertone have an expiration date on them. I am thinking that maybe this is something new for the type we are using since some did and some did not. :rolleyes: It appears the bottles are good for at least a year from now.

[caromelle]

I came back from my dermatologist to check out a sun spot on my arm from Aruba...not cancerous (whew)

But I did ask her about expiration and she said that they do expire and typically one should not have any sunscreen left in the bottle for that long to begin with. I use ultimate sport sunblock spray SPF 100 from neutrogena for my body because i'm lazy and shiseido ultimate sun protection face and body lotion SPF 50 for my face.

I've been burned before where I had blisters all over my chest and that scared me to hell so I apply, apply and apply. The idea is that you should use as much as possible before it's supposed to expire - that's the right way.

[corona]

I'm a big believer in sunblock clothing because I saw it work wonderfully for a friend of my son's in Aruba last year. He's very pale, and had gotten a terribly bad burn the summer before, he had to go to the hospital emergency room for treatment, from a day on the river. He wore sun screen religiously, of course, everytime we say him, we reminded him (he was 18), but he loved his sunblock shirt. He said it even made him feel cooler. He came home sunburn free too. I saw this article about sunblock clothing today, and wanted to share it here.

http://www.stylelist.com/2011/06/08/sun-protective-clothing-a-guide/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk3%7C215463



... So does donning a UPF T-shirt really offer an advantage over slapping on traditional sunblock? According to Dr. Mark, yes. Sun-protective clothing can offer significantly more protection than sunscreen in the sense that "there is no variability -- the only variable for whether the clothing will protect is if you wear it," he says. "With sunblock, you have to be using the correct one, apply the correct amount, reapply frequently, be aware of sweating and swimming and other water issues, and apply it 20 minutes prior to exposure. Most people do not
put enough on and do not put it on early enough before going outside." ...

[Arubalisa]

FDA Unveils New Rules for Sunscreens and Labels (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/health/FDA-Unveils-New-Rules-for-Sunscreens-and-Labels-20110614-ss-pm)

"...Under the new rules FDA will:

Prohibit sunscreen marketing claims like "waterproof" and "sweatproof," which the agency said "are exaggerations of performance." Water-resistance claims will be allowed, but companies must explain how much time consumers can expect to get the same benefit while swimming or sweating.
Cap the highest SPF value at 50, unless companies can provide results of further testing that support a higher number.
Require that manufacturers phase out a four-star system currently used by some companies to rate UVA protection. In reviewing more than 3,000 comments submitted to the agency, the FDA decided the star system was too confusing. Instead, protection against UVA should be proportional to protection against UVB, which is already measured using SPF. ..."

[cindyo]

My tip of the day, as we have a few bottles kicking around, is date them when we buy them. Good ole sharpie does the trick and they won't be any confusion later...

[arubamark]

People still use sunscreen? What happened to the Baby oil and iodine with the mister bottle?:D

[Andrea J.]

hahahahhahahaha
People still use sunscreen? What happened to the Baby oil and iodine with the mister bottle?:D