Sunscreen from last year may still be good. The year on its own tells you little: read the expiry information on the tube, think about when you opened it, and check whether the cream has changed. If the printed date or period after opening has passed, or the product looks or smells different, replace it before relying on its protection.

Take out that old tube: four questions

You find a half-full tube in your wash bag just before a day outdoors. Check these four points before it goes back among your everyday things:

  1. Is there an expiry date? If it has passed, do not use the sunscreen.
  2. Can you see an open-jar symbol with, for example, 12M? Count those months from the first time you opened the pack, not from when you bought it.
  3. Has the product changed? An unusual smell or colour, lumps, or layers separating are reasons to replace it.
  4. Where was it kept? Prolonged heat and direct sunlight can affect a formula sooner. Be especially wary of a tube left in a hot car again and again.

So, buying it last year does not automatically mean it should be discarded. But if you find that a time limit has passed, or cannot remember when you first opened a tube some time ago, choose a new one. That way, you do not have to rely on a guess when you apply it.

A hand takes a blank white tube from a blue wash bag beside a mirror and sunglasses.
Check the tube before it disappears back into your bag.

Expiry date or open jar: what the label tells you

Also look along the tube's sealed top seam, on its base, or on the outer box. A minimum-durability date indicates how long the cosmetic product keeps its original function under the stated storage conditions. An open-jar symbol marked 12M means twelve months from the first opening. If it says 6M, that means six months. Follow the directions on your own pack; if both time limits are shown, respect both.

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) explains the country’s cosmetic labelling rules: products with a minimum durability of up to and including 30 months need a date; cosmetics with a longer minimum durability generally show a period after opening. That is why an online rule of thumb such as “sunscreen always lasts three years” cannot be applied to every European tube. The US Food and Drug Administration's three-year rule applies to sunscreen regulated there as a medicine.

Two hands hold the seam of an unbranded white tube up to the daylight.
The photo shows no readable date: check the print on your own pack.

Write down the day you open it

An open-jar symbol only helps if you know when the pack was first opened. Write the date on the tube with a waterproof pen or save it in your phone. A tube marked 12M that you opened in June 2025 is outside that period in September 2026, even if plenty is left. For a tube bought last year but still unopened, check the information on its label and how it has been stored.

Has the printing worn away? Check the box if you still have it, or ask the manufacturer about the expiry information. A batch code does not tell you when you opened the tube. If you really cannot work that out for an old, used pack, replace it before a day when you need reliable sun protection.

A hand writes a note in a blue diary beside a closed white tube.
A note of your own makes the period after opening easier to check later.

Changed before the date? Replace it anyway

A valid date is no guarantee if the contents have clearly changed. Look at the cream near the opening: has its colour changed, does it smell odd, or does a watery part come out before a thicker one? Has it become grainy or unusually dry? Do not use it to see “if it is still all right”. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, these visible changes are reasons to replace sunscreen, even before the printed end date.

The example photo below shows a change in texture; it is not a test of a real sunscreen. A cream that looks normal has not thereby been shown to have a particular SPF either. If you are unsure about an old tube, set it aside and take a new one for your next day outdoors.

Generic cream with watery and thicker parts separated in a glass dish.Hands inspect a loose cap and the opening of an unbranded tube over a blue cloth.
A change in texture is a reason to check the pack carefully; the photos are illustrative.

Can touch or a UV camera check the SPF?

No. A smooth spread, familiar smell or dark area in a UV photo does not tell you what protection the contents of an old tube now provide. SPF is determined using standardised methods, not by looking at a dab of cream on your hand at home. UV photography can sometimes show where a product sits on the skin; in a study of UV cameras, some tinted products were difficult to see. A photo can help show the application of suitable sunscreen, but it is not an expiry or SPF test.

Protect your skin with a product whose time limit and condition are clear. A broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, used as directed on its label, helps lower the risk of sunburn, premature skin ageing and skin cancer when combined with shade and protective clothing. For an everyday starting point, read why using sunscreen on your face can make sense.

A hand places a closed unbranded tube in a small dish, apart from a wash bag.
Do not use a questionable old tube as a test on your skin.

Make the next check easier

Store the tube tightly closed in a clean, dry drawer, away from direct sunlight and prolonged heat. Do not leave it in the car after a day at the beach. The FDA advises protecting it from excessive heat and direct sunlight; also follow the storage directions on your own pack. It need not be more complicated: note the date you opened it and put the tube somewhere you can find it again.

A closed blank tube lies in a light drawer beside a wash bag and blue cloth.
A regular place away from heat and direct sunlight makes it easier to store and find the tube.

If your sunscreen is still within its time limit and has not changed, apply enough and reapply outdoors as directed on the label. Our guide to how much sunscreen to use on your face, neck and ears can help with the amount. If you wear make-up, also read the order for sunscreen and make-up.

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Sources and further reading

6 sources
  1. NVWA — Checklist of cosmetic labelling requirementsMinimum durability and the period after opening on cosmetic packs in the Netherlands.
  2. NVWA — How to prevent problems from cosmetics: consumer tipsConsumer explanation of the open-jar symbol and 12M.
  3. American Academy of Dermatology — When to toss your makeup and sunscreenReplace sunscreen if it has expired or changed in smell, colour or texture; heat can affect it.
  4. FDA — Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the SunStorage away from excessive heat and sunlight; the US three-year rule is not an EU labelling rule.
  5. European Commission — Recommendation on sunscreen productsSPF and UVA protection claims rely on standardised, reproducible test methods.
  6. Horsham et al. — Assessing Sunscreen Protection Using UV PhotographyUV photos showed coverage under study conditions; visibility varies by formula.