Though this isn't true for every single person who hits the beach or goes out in the sun during the summer, it's become refreshingly common to see people take the use of sunscreen seriously.
However, it was recently pointed out in a series of viral TikTok videos that the application of sunscreen may not be as simple and straightforward as it seems.
In a teaser video, TikToker @morganvacala shared how she'd found herself in a tough situation, using a product we've all been taught to trust during the blisteringly hot summer months.
Morgan used a trending sound that questioned:
"Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation."
In a text overlay on the video, featuring her burned forehead, Morgan wrote:
"I'll never forget the look on the doctors' faces."
You can watch the video here:
TikTok, of course, needed to know more about what happened:
@morganvacala/TikTok
Morgan responded with an extremely condensed version of her story:
"One year ago today, I was standing in this exact spot [gestures to pool] right here, without a hat on, wearing expired sunscreen."
Panning the camera over to her friends, they yelled:
"Yeah, don't buy Banana Boat (Sunscreen)!"
Morgan ended the video simply:
"That's the whole story."
You can watch the video here:
Some TikTokers wanted to know more about Morgan's healing journey after the fact.
Morgan explained that she had gotten second-degree burns from wearing the expired sunscreen, and it took somewhere between two and three weeks for her forehead to completely heal.
Photos from her healing process are in this video:
The moral of the story, Morgan now always checks to make sure she is wearing sunscreen that is within its expiration date, and she considers hats to now be one of her best friends.
TikTok was shocked by Morgan's wounds, especially since she'd done the right thing and worn sunscreen.
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
Some were just avidly against the Banana Boat brand of sunscreen.
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
@morganvacala/TikTok
Most sunscreen bottles, both spray and lotion, contain expiration information on the side of the bottle, just like food would.
The general rule of thumb is that, if the bottle does not have explicit expiration information on it, the consumer is safe to use it for up to three years after making their purchase.
@sydney_sweeney/Instagram
@HawleyMO/X