COVID-19: What you need to know
Featured conditions Brain tumor, breast cancer, colon cancer, congenital heart disease, heart arrhythmia. See more conditions.
Featured conditions
Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations.
Subscribe to Housecall
Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.
Sunscreens are required by the Food and Drug Administration to remain at their original strengths for at least three years. This means that you can use leftover sunscreen from one year to the next.
Some sunscreens include an expiration date — a date indicating when they're no longer effective. Discard sunscreen that is past its expiration date. If you buy sunscreen that doesn't have an expiration date, write the date of purchase on the bottle. Throw out the bottle when three years have passed since the purchase date.
To keep your sunscreen in good condition, avoid exposing the container to excessive heat or direct sun. Place sunscreen containers in the shade or wrap them in a towel. Discard sunscreen that has any obvious changes in color or consistency.
Keep in mind that if you use sunscreen generously and frequently, a bottle of sunscreen won't last long. Generally, a liberal application is 1 ounce (30 milliliters) — the amount in a shot glass — to cover exposed parts of the body. You might need to apply more, depending on your body size. If you have a 4-ounce (118-milliliter) bottle, you'll use about one-fourth of it during one application.
With
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.