How To Know The Expiration Date Of Beauty Products?

You are accustomed to checking the expiry date on food items before buying. Do you do likewise for your beauty care products? Furthermore, therapeutic items have a period of usability before or after opening the thing. Yet, at times, there is a careful date, and we clarify how to perceive the expiry date of a corrective item and the dangers of utilizing a lapsed item.

Shelf Life Of Cosmetics

Whether it’s makeup, skin, or hair care products, all have a limited lifespan. As with food products, if you use a product with an expiry date, there may be consequences for the loss of product quality or health.

Makeups

Makeup products have a shelf life of 3 to 18 months after opening, depending on the product. For example, mascaras have a relatively short shelf life. After the start, avoid using them after the date indicated, the eyes are sensitive, and reactions may appear (conjunctivitis, eye infection). Eye pencils tend to wear out quite quickly; the risk is lower if they are used regularly. Regarding foundations, they do not have the same lifespan between liquid and solid.

1. Mascara/Eyeliner: 3 to 6 months
2. Eyeshadow: 12 to 18 months
3. Foundation/Powders: 12 months
4. Lipstick: 12 to 18 months

Powders and foundations are prone to bacteria growth, mainly if applied to your fingers. If you use a puff, sponge, or brush, these accessories should be cleaned regularly. For makeup enthusiasts, you know that the quantity of the product is more important than the shelf life stated by the brand. Check the amount of product that corresponds to your daily consumption, which will avoid waste.

Skincare

Skin products, creams, scrubs, and masks… have a shelf life of 6 to 12 months after opening. If we are diligent, these treatments will last for a few weeks. But be careful if they sleep in the closet. If the date has passed, avoid using the product, especially if it is a facial or eye contour treatment, these areas are more sensitive to reactions. Sunscreen products are discarded at the end of the season, and there is no need to keep them after opening. A sunscreen product cannot be kept from one year to the next.

Hair Care

For hair products, unlike other cosmetics, their quantity is more significant, so that the expiry date will be a little longer than other cosmetics. The product will lose its effectiveness if the date is exceeded. But be careful with aqueous products containing water; they are more sensitive to bacteria.

How To Recognize The Expiry Date?

All cosmetic products sold in France are required to display an expiry date. They are identifiable by “Best to be used before…”, “Exp” = expires, or by a pictogram called PAO (Period After/Before Opening). This pictogram represents an open or closed jar of cream with a number + an M inside the jar.

 This “M” means “month.” Ex 6M = 6 months, 12M = 12 months is the maximum shelf life. If the jar is opened, the product must be kept for six months AFTER opening; if the jar is closed, the product must be kept for six months BEFORE introduction. Closing and opening the pot of the pictogram is essential, be vigilant.

How To Recognize An Expired Product?

1. The color is modified (ex: darker)
2. a smell
3. modified texture (dry, etc.)

What Are The Risks?

It is essential to respect the dates because beyond that, the products can cause:

1. conjunctivitis
2. rash, redness
3. pimples, pus

Do not hesitate to discard a product in the slightest doubt. The products used on the fingers are more sensitive. Even if your fingers are clean, you transmit bacteria in the tubes you use. And these bacteria settle there and stay there.

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