This TikToker just shared a hack for storing your SPF and it is aesthetician approved

Finding the right SPF is top of many of our summer to-do lists. But how we store it may not be on our radar. This TikToker just let us into a secret for storing SPF for optimum protection, and *spoiler*, this place is not your car.

It’s no secret that keeping your skin, especially your face, protected against UV rays when out lapping up Vitamin D is of the utmost importance. This is why, for many of us, applying SPF is a simple reflex.

But you may not realise that where you store your SPF is crucial to reaping the rewards of the time spent slathering on the factor 50 cream (or spraying on dry oil SPF, same protection, minus the stickiness – thank us later).

The TikTok tip that got us thinking

A simple scroll down TikTok for the latest SPF hacks will bring you to beauty and fashion creator, Faisa Sahid. In a recent video – that has gained over twenty-four thousand likes – she shares her skincare tips that won’t cost a penny. The particular tip that has caught our attention? Don’t leave your SPF in the car.

In the 34-second video, Sahid tells viewers: “During warmer seasons, heat builds up in the car and then the heat destabilizes the sunscreen, making it ineffective.”

She continues: “Basically, no matter how much you apply, or reapply, it won’t be doing much.”

Remembering to take your SPF with you when you park up for a day in the sun isn’t just a TikToker’s secret to protected skin, it’s got an aesthetician’s seal of approval.

What does an expert think?

Gillian Milberg – licensed aesthetician at Practise NYC (yep, the clinic run by Bella Hadid’s facialist) – echoes Sahid’s warning: “You shouldn't store your sunscreen, or any other skincare products for that matter, anywhere where there are extreme temperatures because it can mess with the formula.”

When Milberg says heat will “mess with the formula”, she is referring to the degradation of active ingredients commonly found in suncream – such as oxybenzone and avobenzone – which will prevent adequate protection from UV rays, even if the SPF has not yet expired.

Milberg advises that your SPF is best left at home at room temperature, or if you need to top up your application throughout the day, she suggests it is stored in your handbag and kept with you at all times.

If you realise you have been leaving your SPF in the car, Milberg has some tips for spotting if the formula has been affected by its environment and can no longer be used. “You can tell it’s been affected by the change in smell or a change in how it looks,” she says. “Usually, expired or broken-down formulas will be watery and look as if it has separated.”

Though a seemingly simple tip, the advice shared in Sahid’s TikTok will ensure those enjoying the sun aren’t burned by a gap in knowledge about storing their SPF. I’ll certainly be taking note.