When do nonfood items expire?
Expiration doesn't necessarily mean the product turns putrid or ineffective once the date passes. Manufacturers set expiration by choosing a date and conducting stability tests to ensure the product will still be good at that time. Check out when it's time to dump these items.
- Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Tribune Newspapers
- Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Tribune Newspapers
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The ingredients that absorb UV light and prevent it from reaching your skin can change or degrade with time and extreme temperature, diminishing the effectiveness of the sunscreen, said Dr. John Bailey, chief scientist with the Personal Care Products Council. If the product still looks, smells and feels right, you can probably use it for a year past the expiration if you're willing to take the risk (that is, if you tolerate the sun well), Bailey said. But if you're fair-skinned or burn easily, it's best to abide by the date. Other doctors, such as Glogau, advise people to buy a new bottle each year.
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