How Out-of-Date Are Your Beauty Items?

How Out-of-Date Are Your Beauty Items?

Thousands of people all over the world are still under the assumption that their beauty products don’t have an expiry date, and that mascara they bought four years ago is still healthy to use… They’re wrong.

In fact, almost all types of beauty products have expiration dates that can be found on the packaging. The small tub image with a letter followed by ‘M’ is often overlooked, but it actually indicates the duration of time that you have after opening the item before your product ‘expires’.

In this article, Elise from Celebricious shares all you need to know about expiry dates on your beauty and makeup items, and other signs to look for that indicate it’s time to bin your beloved products:

1. Three Months

The shortest expiration date you might find on your products indicate a 3-month shelf life. Often liquid based products, this expiration date is popular with makeup products such as mascara.

Mascaras have such a short shelf life because the dark, wet and sticky environment is a breeding ground for bacteria, and the preservatives included in your tube are only active for a maximum of three months.

Along with running the risk of causing eye infections, you’ll probably notice that it becomes much more difficult to apply after this milestone!

2. Six Months

Generally, makeup products such as liquid foundations and concealer have a shelf life of six months. However, this can be slightly prolonged by ensuring that your products are kept clean, along with the tools you use to apply it.

The cleanliness and shelf life of both your foundation and concealer are both important. If the expiration date has passed and you’re still using the same bottle with the same unclean tools, you’re essentially rubbing dirt, bacteria and grease all over your skin!

3. One – Two Years

Beauty products such as lipsticks and glosses often have a longer expiry date than foundations and mascaras.

If you follow the general guidelines when applying lipsticks – such as not pumping excess air into the tube or sharing with other people – the product itself should be good to use for up to one whole year… Even two if they’re kept in great condition!

4. Two Years

If your makeup bag mainly consists of items in powder form, you’ve got good news! Powder makeup items such as eye shadows, blushes and setting powders half a shelf life of around two years, so you won’t tot up a huge bill regularly replacing them.

Nail polishes also have a long shelf life of two years, but are especially sensitive to temperature. In order to get the best out of them, keep them out of direct sunlight and humidity.

Despite the long expiry date that these kind of products offer, there a few signs to look out for that will indicate a product may be time to throw, including:

  • Build-up of waxy oils
  • Discolouration
  • Change in smell

Did you know that makeup and beauty products have expiration dates? When was the last time you checked your makeup bag to see if anything had passed its shelf life?

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