Still using the same eyeshadow palette since high school? Well, if you needed an excuse to buy more makeup, this is it. Aside from your products losing their efficacy, if you don’t pay attention to beauty product expiration dates you run the risk of skin irritations, dermatitis, allergic reactions and infection.
RELATED: 5 tips to super shiny hair
RELATED: 7 beauty products that’ll help you survive winter
If you can’t bear the thought of parting with those palettes that you’ve been holding onto for years, there might still be hope. Here’s everything you need to know about beauty product expiration dates – including which ones you really need to follow.
How to tell when your beauty products are expired
Most of your beauty products will expire eventually, but how soon depends on factors such as preservatives, ingredients, antioxidants, packaging and where you store your products. And if you love natural beauty products, you need to be extra cautious as they expire far quicker than other products due to the lack of preservatives. Firstly, you can check the expiry date by looking for either the pot logo with how many months until it expires on it, or look for the exact month and year printed on the packaging (it looks similar to the one you would find on grocery products).
No date, no problem
But what if your product doesn’t have an expiry date on it? Some products won’t have expiry dates on them depending on where they were manufactured. If you can’t find a label, here’s a general guide:
Toss 2 years after opening
- All powder products
Toss 12 months after opening
- Lipstick
- Lip gloss
- Perfumes
Toss 6 months after opening
- Moisturisers
- Foundation
- Oils
- Serums
- Sunscreen
Toss 3 months after opening
- Mascara
- Liquid eyeliner
If you’re still unsure, toss any unopened products after three years and any opened products after six months.
Colour, consistency and smell
You can also test your products to see if they’re expired by looking for the three major giveaways: Colour, consistency and smell. The first thing to look for is changes in the colour of the product For example, perfume tends to go quite yellow once it’s expired. Next, check for changes in its consistency. You should be able to notice that the formula has started to separate or gone gluggy. These signs are not good. Lastly, the biggest indicator is smell. A quick whiff of an expired product is a dead giveaway as it will smell toxic or rancid.
How long have you been holding on to your oldest beauty product?
Great tips on expiry dates. Think I’ll have a look!
Good to know, especially when there’s no use by date, thanks.
Great info. I am guilty of holding onto things past their use by date, especially eye shadows
I’m guilty of using eyeshadow thats many years old lol
I’m guilty of holding onto blush and eyeshadow palettes. But if they smell off, I’ll get rid of them. I won’t use skin care past it’s use by date, but it usually gets used up anyway. I’m very particular about mascaras. I toss them after 6 months maximum, or if they smell off.
good tips,thank you!!
Makeup, I throw away anything I do not use that year. So now have just a few items that fit a small toiletry bag. Skincare all gets used. Do not have much now. Haircare, I burn trough like mad. Nothing gets expired.
I am sure I’ve used a lot of products that have been technically expired. I go by the look and smell of a product, and if it’s not causing me any issues or irritation, I keep on using it. Sunscreen is the only product I’m mindful of the use by date of, and that’s usually longer than the 6 months stated here.
I need to go through everything and throw out the products I haven’t used in awhile
I’ve got some antiques – something special my hubby bought for me before we got married and I don’t want to part from it – something from Elizabeth Arden. So cute that he bought it for me. I won’t use it now though because I wouldn’t trust it!
I just used a lipstick today and I think it was not quite right, didn’t apply or smell the way it use to,
I am going to have to ditch it.
What about for products that you have not opened yet – I wonder what the expiry is for that
I try to use up mu skincare quickly but I have never used up a makeup product, which is such a waste
Need to declutter my cosmetics.
I don’t have sensitive skin, so I often use things until they run out, unless they look or smell off. These rules aren’t hard & fast: natural products tend to go off quicker than products loaded with preservatives. I look at the open jar symbol on the packaging to know how long the product should last once opened.
I have and use some old lipsticks. They are still silky smooth to apply and I simply cant let them go as the shades are just awesome and sadly this brand doesnt exist anymore. I dread to think exactly how old they are.
I’m really strict with this after I had an eye infection. It helps not having too many things open at once.
Great tips, BH. I mostly never finish my cosmetics and have yo throw them max in a year.
My oldest product is a chanel lipstick I bought duty-free on my first big trip overseas, it’s 25 years old, I’ve never used it. But I can’t bring myself to throw it out.
I’m really guilty of holding on too long to beauty products. The more expensive they were the harder to throw out.
Oh boy I’ve got products I’ve been using for 5+ years LOL.
I do throw things out if they start to smell bad or are changing colour/becoming gluggy though!
I guarantee you I am the most guilty party here with the oldest product. It is amongst the first makeup products I ever had and it was given to me by my cousin many years ago when I was a child. A product older than the majority of Beautyheaveners. I have a Helena Rubenstein Dazzlers powdered eyeshadow in the shade Water Lily, and I think it was made in the 1970’s. I may well be the only person on earth that now owns it. It is a metallic green shade.
I must admit I am so guilty of this
I’m so guilty of this but I also keep most of my makeup in the refrigerator so that helps slow down the expiration date a little.
Ha! I still have my first MAC lipstick that I bought. Like you, I never wore it out, just tried it around the house. It just isn’t a shade for me but I’ve bought a gazillion MAC lippies since that I do wear out.
i used to wear makeup every day and accumulated a massive collection. the last 2.5 years i have only worn makeup max 2 times a month! If i followed this i would have to toss my entire collection. i often go through things and check their smell and consistency and what i have now seems fine.
I’m very surprised by some of these time limits, I’ve got some make up products that have been with me for a while and they’re still doing they’re job and don’t have any funny smell or a change of consistency,
ha ha Yoh your old Avatar pic is back!! 🙂
lol oh wow lynx!! I thought I was winning but I think you are now! ; )
I don’t wear much makeup but my main concern is with eye products. I don’t wear eyeliner and hardly use eye shadow but I get rid of mascara after three months. I have some ‘antique’ lipsticks in my collection that are still super good.
Such a good reminder!
Great tips , I go through my make up products every now and then and renew them.
I do try and not have a lot of products open at once and to keep track of what I have. I will throw it out if I think that it is old and has gone off.
My lip products always last more than a year. My makeup lasts a while, it’s my skincare that I use quicker.
Unless it is obviously off, I will continue to use it until it runs out. What a waste otherwise.
Great advice, yes I always get rid of my mascara’s after 3months
12 months for perfume? Sorry but no way!
I know I’m using products way past these dates eg my favourite lipsticks.
Had to summon the Alien back. It is these weird times…
OMG if I followed these rules I would have no makeup. I can’t remember how many years ago I bought my blusher & fav eyeshadow palette.
If you want “antique” lipsticks, I have just thrown out my Mary Quant lipsticks that I bought in London in the early 1980s. Thankfully I got a lot of wear out each one (6 in total). I had to throw them about this year because they were growing some sort of mould on them. Ewww
I am guilty of not throwing things after 12 months. I have become better lately though.
Oops time to go through the bathroom cupboards
Toss lipstick after 12 months? I don’t think so. I only toss it if it’s not “right”. I know some foundations change colour so I try to use them all up before they do. There are some eyeshadows I’ve had for years and I really should get rid of them.
Took me a while to realize that my mascara was causing my sore eyes.
Be watchful Beauties. Thank you for this article.
I am guilty of using makeup even after their expiry date because they were doing their job as fine.
I’m very strict about throwing out mascara after around 4 months and I normally use my skincare up within 6 months but everything else I keep longer, especially perfume!
Seems like such a waste to just throw out your skincare and makeup after those time frames, I use my judgement and only throw them out if there’s a funny smell or the consistency has changed a lot. I don’t use my makeup often enough to be discarding every 3-6 months!
Definitely guilty of using past the expiry date but when it’s expensive and still working fine it just feels like a waste.
Thanks for the reminder, I really must have a clean out of my beauty products.