Why You Should Never Buy Skincare Products At Sam's Club

Sales. Deals. Discounts. All words that make our budget-conscious hearts sore. If you agree, then you most likely have experienced the shiver of excitement that runs down your spine after seeing how much you can save at warehouse club stores like Sam's Club. According to the company's website, Sam's Club offers their members high quality products at an exceptional value. Air five to that! But, as conscious consumers, we must be wary of all the value that makes a product worth purchasing. And the popular saying, "too good to be true," applies to this warehouse store when it comes to skin products.

Let's start with sunscreen. One of the main ways to judge a sunscreen is by the SPF. Consumer expert Trae Bodge claims, "For sun products, SPF is most effective if used in a year" (via Cheatsheet). This might be difficult if the product is bought in bulk. Furthermore, dermatologist Erin Gilbert makes a good point when she says, "Handling of the sunscreen container with dirty hands, or frequent opening and closing can expose the sunscreen to bacteria," (via Allure). After wincing, we see this is an excellent point. Sharing sunscreen is not uncommon — especially if it comes in a large container. Any time we can steer clear of a bacteria bomb, we will. 

Moving on to other skin products, skin creams don't have a very long shelf life — around six months to a year (per Lifehacker). This doesn't give us very long to use all the product's contents before it starts to go bad. Dermatologist Debra Jailman explains, "The main problem with old products is that they can decompose. The chemicals can separate and cause problems with the skin. I have seen burns and irritation from old products." She adds, "They can also harbor bacteria and cause a skin infection or even worse: They can have viruses and cause a herpes outbreak" (via Dermstore). There's that word again: bacteria. And a new one: outbreak! No thank you.

Good for you for being a bargain hunting warrior! But, next time you are in Sam's Club in pursuit of savings, go ahead and walk past the skin care product aisle.