How long do Sunscreens last?

How long does sunscreen last in the container? Should you throw it away after a year or two if you haven’t used all of it? Sunscreens don’t last forever, on your skin or in the bottle. The FDA considers sunscreens to be over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, meaning they are subject to much more stringent guidelines and regulations than cosmetics. According to the FDA’s OTC regulations, sunscreens should be stamped with an expiration date if they have less than three years of acceptable stability testing. If they do have three years’ worth of acceptable stability testing they do not need to be stamped with an expiration date. That confusing bit of legislation makes the expiration date almost impossible for the consumer to understand. In the long run, you will do best to look for a sunscreen product that is stamped with an expiration date so you know how long it has been on the shelf, although those without expiration dates are not a problem in terms of meeting FDA guidelines.