End-of-Season Clearance Sales are Your Chance to "Fall" for a New Sunscreen

Fall break has arrived--finally! It’s been a long, sticky summer in West Tennessee, and the school year so far has been challenging to say the least. My daughter and I are planning a quick trip to the beach to rest and regroup. I love the beach, but it takes a little extra planning when you want to be sun-safe. I made one last stop for vacation supplies today, and replenishing my sunscreen supply was top on my list. What I found in Walmart was both surprising and frustrating.

Sunscreen galore

I typically lean toward mineral sunscreen and wanted to grab a new tube--mine is a little low and wouldn’t get us through this trip. On my way to the health and beauty section, I had to stop and do a double-take. One of the endcaps near the clearance aisle was filled with sunscreen. Great for me, but disappointing that they still have so much left at the end of the season. Granted, we need sunscreenyear-round, but I would hope more folks were grabbing sunscreen for summer use, you know?

This particular endcap and a great portion of the clearance aisle itself were filled with sunscreen of all types. There were lots of mineral options along with the standard sport sunscreens. I did note, however, that many brands of spray sunscreen were sold out. This makes me hopeful that more people than I thought opted to buy sunscreen but preferred it in a form that can be a little easier to apply.

Now is the time!

If you are a regular sunscreen user or would like to get started with a daily sunscreen, now is a great time of year to stock up. If a new skin cancer diagnosis has you searching for ways to protect your skin, the time is right to research and try some on for size. Many stores are offering their summer skincare items like sunscreen at a steep discount. The endcap I browsed today had everything from sunscreens especially made with children in mind to those with a little tint of color. In addition, there were SPFs from 30 to 50+. I grabbed one with a little shimmer.

Check the date

I am sure many customers pass by these end-of-the-summer displays thinking the sunscreens will expire before they can use them again. They are wrong on two accounts. For starters, sun protection is a 365 day a year job. Any time we are exposed to the sun’s UV rays, we need to protect our skin. Fall yard work, winter outdoor sports, and even driving on sunny winter days call for daily sunscreen use.

Secondly, expiration on sunscreen dates are much longer than many might assume. I checked several as I browsed today. Most of the expiration dates were well into the summer and fall of 2022, and a few even showed dates in 2023. It’s well worth the discounted price to grab a few tubes now. The end of summer is a great time to try a new brand, experiment with a mineral sunscreen for the first time, or find one for sensitive skin.

Whether you are replenishing your sunscreen supply or venturing into sun-safe practices for the first time, you can’t go wrong this time of year. Check out your local store shelves. They are bound to have an abundance of sunscreens just waiting to be grabbed up!

What’s your favorite sunscreen? Share with us in the comments!