I’m trying to make the most of this stay-at-home time and be somewhat productive like cleaning and sorting out clutters… but my motivation runs low. I would head to my skincare and makeup stash, pretend I’m sorting them out, all the while I’m just playing and opening more things to try out. Surely, I’m not the only one.
On that note, I’m compiling a makeup expiration guide in case you are wondering how long makeup items like foundation, mascara and lipstick is good for? We all know our makeup has an expiration date, just like food but I’m guessing most of us tend to forget or ignore them. Unless we set aside time to clean out our stash, it’s so easy to let them hang around after their expiration dates. I know I’m totally guilty of this. Maybe now it’s the time to go through them and toss out the ones we can’t keep.
How do you know if makeup is expired?
Here are a few things to look out for (regardless of expiration dates). It’s pretty easy to tell, by feel, sight and smell.
- Change in texture. The formula dries out and/or appears clumpy or break down in chalky consistency.
- Change in colour. This can happen due to the breakdown of chemicals over time.
- Unusual smell. Any odd smell generally indicates that the chemical composition of the product has changed. If you smell anything funky, that’s an immediate red flag.
If any products show any signs from the above mentioned categories, toss it immediately. When makeup expires, not only it won’t apply as good as it should, but it can cause potential problems such as skin irritation that might come in the form of breakouts, rashes or swellings and eye infections.
Makeup Expiration Guide
Every type of makeup product have different expiration dates. As a general rule of thumb, liquid products have much shorter lifespan than powder products because bacteria can breed easier than drier, powdery ones.
Any products with applicators that directly touch your skin, eyes or mouth and placed back into the product expire much quicker as bacteria from your skin can transfer back to the product. Also, important to note that these products are best not to be shared with another person for obvious hygiene reasons.
Here’s an infographic of the general expiration dates of many different makeup items. (Don’t forget to Pin this to your Pinterest board!)
While this infographic provides a general guideline to expiration dates, always check the Period-After-Opening (PAO) symbol (the one that looks like an open jar with a digit and a letter M inside e.g. 12M stands for 12 months) which refers to the amount of time a product will remain stable and safe for human use after it has first been opened. If it differs from this infographic, follows the PAO on the product.