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Does anyone know if sun tan lotion has a shelf life? The half used ones I have from a couple of years ago don't have any expiry date on them and I'd rather not buy new stuff this year because it's just so expensive.
Ex-RoNiN said:Are £30 worth risking skin cancer over?
Grrrrr said:That is such an OcUK reply
philhoole said:Does anyone know if sun tan lotion has a shelf life? The half used ones I have from a couple of years ago don't have any expiry date on them and I'd rather not buy new stuff this year because it's just so expensive.
Ex-RoNiN said:I gave you a perfectly valid answer - when it comes to health, do not compromise and don't take a risk. How is that not valid The state of the sun lotion is irrelevant but having said that, whatever material it is, it does deteriorate over time. Hence - don't risk it!
philhoole said:OK I'll bite. I thought I'd been polite. I know you were well meaning in your response but,
If the companies that sell a product such as sun tan lotion do not print an expiry date on their bottles then perhaps it's not unreasonable to assume that it has an essentially indeffinite life. Why should a product deteriorate over time if the chemical compounds are stable? Do they magically change into something else?
If you knew the reason why things change then you could have put in your reply and I would have been grateful but your answer told me nothing. In fact your answer essentially assumes that I'm stupid because I like to think my life is worth more than £30.
Can you use the sunblock cream left over from last year?
If a product has a shelf life of more than two-and-a-half years, the manufacturer is not obliged under cosmetics legislation to quote an expiry date.
So can we use the sunblock cream we bought last year? Not with safety.
Try to smell it and look at it. If it smells off or if it separates, it is either full of bacteria or has been destroyed in some other way and should therefore be discarded.
The reason why the product does not last for the two-and-a-half years may be that it has been left in the sun longer than is good for it.
It is not a good idea to leave sunblock creams and other creams in the sun where they may become heated. Instead they should be left in a shady and cool place, ideally in the refrigerator, when not in use.
Buy fake tan and paint yourself orange, no one will notice, honestphilhoole said:As an aside, I wonder how much a bottle of lotion really costs to make? It suits the manufacturers that people like me go to sunny places on holiday with a full intention of getting a tan which is in itself risky and covering myself in their lotion to minimise the damage. Perhaps I am stupid