Just How Long Can You Use Your Makeup and Skincare Products?

A Brief Primer on Cosmetic Shelf Life and Expiration

It may seem like a funny question to consider or ask, but “Do cosmetics expire?” is a very wise point to ponder. If we are to take a shortcut to the answer, we would have to say with a resounding yes that all cosmetics do indeed have an expiration date. They also have something known as the PAO or Period After Opening, and you’ll need to understand them both if you are to make the right choices about your cosmetics.

As one expert wrote, “milk and makeup have one very big thing in common – they go bad. And when they do, they go very bad. Whole milk that has spoiled is a bit more obvious about its ‘badness,’ but expired makeup can also harbor all kinds of nastiness (and it’s much harder to tell). Bacteria, mold, oil, dead skin cells…it can be a breeding ground for materials you really (read that as REALLY) don’t want anywhere near your face, mouth or eyes. That is why one of the most important makeup tips is to know when it is time to toss outdated products.”

But how can you know what items are “outdated?” We have some tips below to understand cosmetic shelf life and expiration:

Dates, Dates, and a Few More Dates

There are three dates to look for when you want to know more about a specific product:

• The Production Date – This is the date that your product was manufactured or produced. It is usually defined with the date or as part of a “lot number.” It may or may not appear on a product or its packaging, but is usually not required.
• The Expiration Date – This is the date after which a product should not be used any longer. Usually, it is necessary for the manufacturer to put this on the product or packaging if it has a shelf life of 30 months or less. The expiration date is supposed to appear as a month and year or even as a month, day, and year. As an example, you might buy a new tube of lipstick and see 05/23/21 on the package. This means you must discard it after May 23, 2021, regardless of whether it is open or unopened.
• The Period After Opening – This is a special number that is often derived from lab testing of a specific product. It usually is printed as a number with the letter M afterward. For example, a jar of skin cream might read 6M or 18M in the icon, and it would mean you must toss the product six months or 18 months after you opened it.

Are such figures exact?

In other words, is a product’s PAO or shelf life always exactly as indicated? The FDA says no, and that you have to consider a range of factors that can affect the shelf life. For example, they say that shelf life is general, and “varies, depending on the type of product, how it is used, and how it is stored.”

In the U.S., there are no regulations requiring manufacturers to provide expiration dates, but they must determine shelf lives for products “as part of their responsibility to substantiate product safety.” Yet this applies only if the product has demonstrated at least three years of stability.

So, it can start to feel like it is entirely up to you to gauge the right time to toss a cosmetic product. Fortunately, you can do a better job of this when you know about factors impacting shelf life.

Related: The Truth About Organic Beauty Products

The Issues That Affect Shelf Life

The FDA has some very clear warnings about the issues that will degrade or break down a cosmetic product, and they include:

• “Dipping your fingers into a product – This runs the risk of introducing microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi (mold and yeast), which need to be controlled, for example, by preservatives.
• The eventual breakdown of preservatives, which allow bacteria and fungi to grow.
• The use of applicators, especially mascara wands, which are repeatedly exposed to bacteria and fungi with each use
• Separation of emulsions, which are mixtures of water and oil
• Exposure to moisture, such as in a bathroom, which will make it easier for bacteria and fungi to grow.
• Drying out, causing products to harden and crack.
• Changes in color and texture caused by temperature changes and exposure to sunlight and air, which will also cause products to smell.”

Naturally, the nature of the product may also have an effect on its shelf life. For instance, eye area cosmetics will usually have shorter shelf lives because the risk of problems with the eye is higher as time passes. Every time the wand touches the eye area and then dips into the mascara, it introduces potentially harmful materials.

So, the PAO or shelf lives of products are going to vary based on a long list of issues and factors. The good news is that industry experts have a general list of guidelines you should follow when it comes to cosmetic shelf life and expiration.

Related: What are Parabens and Why Should I Watch Out for Them?

Average PAOs for Common Cosmetics

We suggest that you invest in a few fine tip “sharpies” markers or pens and write the exact date that you open and begin to use a product right on the product’s packaging. It doesn’t have to be obvious, and you can jot it on the bottom of a pot of blush or cream, along the side of a mascara or lipstick tube, and so on.

Then, follow these guidelines:

If there is no sign of an expiration or use by date, just follow these general guidelines and recommendations:

Applicators and brushes – Technically, these are not cosmetics, but they can cause makeup contamination, spoilage, and poor applications. Did you buy an expensive set of brushes because you were told they can be washed? If so, we’re sorry to disappoint you, but brushes and applicators can be truly filthy.  Instead, replace a brush at the six to eight-week mark. Use your sponges and eggs for two weeks and toss them. This may be a bit of a bother but doing so will prolong the life of your makeup and prevent contaminants from reaching your face, eyes, and mouth.

Kabuki Makeup Brush Set

Liquid eyeliner and/or mascara –As noted, eye makeup of any kind tends to have the shortest life span. You’ll need to discard them every three months, or so.

Liquid foundation – Typically this is good for up to a year, however, if you store this in a warmer and more humid spot (i.e. the bathroom), it will spoil faster.

Lip products –  Whether it is a lipstick, gloss or balm, or even a liner pencil, you can use it for only six months to a year at best. If you regularly apply these products directly to your skin (i.e. you apply lipstick using the product and not a brush), they should be discarded after six months to keep bacteria at bay.

Pencils – Most can last for up to a year, but you’ll need to remember to sharpen them immediately after use to eliminate most of the contaminants, and you’ll need to keep your sharpener pristine.

Powdered products – Eyeshadows, blushes, other powders have the longest life spans, from 18 to 24 months. However, if you apply them with a finger or using an unwashed brush or applicator, you shorten this timespan dramatically.

Shop Beauty Junkees Eyeshadow Colors

What Happens If You Use Expired Cosmetics?

If you look at the list of factors that can reduce or impact the life span of a cosmetic product, you can start to understand what might happen if you use an expired item. For example, consider foundations. They are high in oil-based ingredients and if they spoil, those oils might separate. That means your ongoing use of the separated product will allow you to apply pore-clogging oils to the skin. This can cause breakouts and irritation. And other items?

• Mascara – This will become thick and flaky. It will not apply easily or well and may even cause eye irritation
• Powdered makeup – Whether it is blush or eye shadow, it can become dry and dense, meaning it applies poorly (if at all). It may also have absorbed oils from the fingers, and this can give it an oily sheen and unappealing look when used
• Cream products – Blushes and eyeshadows often require you to use your fingers, and after the product has been opened for the amount of time deeming it expired, you may experience breakouts, skin irritation, and poor applications
• Lipstick – When it sits opened and exposed, even if capped, it can dry out. This can make it difficult to apply and quite drying to the skin of the lips. It can also develop a huge amount of bacterial growth.
• Liquid eyeliner – It will cause irritation and redness if used too long. Its color will fade, and application may be almost impossible.

What this means is simple: When you use a cosmetic of any kind past the recommended dates, it is likely to have broken down, dried out, become difficult to apply, will look less appealing and may even be uncomfortable (such as overly dry lipstick), and can introduce a lot of bacteria and contaminants into the eyes, lips, and skin.

And the items we haven’t mentioned, like skin care products and serums? They are going to be less effective, as well as drying out and applying with difficulty.

Related: Choosing a Beauty Routine That’s Eco-Friendly

Tips for Ongoing Makeup Safety and Understanding of Cosmetic Shelf Life and Expiration

Is there anything that can be done to reduce the damage that opening the makeup and using it will cause or create? In a word: Yes! You can do many things to keep your open cosmetics in good condition and as useable for as long as possible.

They include:

• Creating a good policy of sanitary practices around your makeup and beauty products, such as always washing your hands and face before you use the makeup or brushes will help. Also keep the place they are stored sanitary and free of mold, mildew or other contaminants
• Never allow others to use your makeup or brushes
• Never using your bare fingers to get makeup of any kind out of a bottle or from inside a container
• Investing in disposable applicators of all kinds can also prolong the life span of cosmetics. For example,  Q-tips, makeup sponges (replaceable), and even brushes will cut down on issues
• Storing makeup outside of the bathroom in a cooler and dryer area, such as a bedroom makeup table
• Always sealing a container of makeup tightly and separating those that could contaminate other products from those less likely to have contaminants. For example, don’t store your tubes of lipstick (if you apply it directly to your lips) with your powdered makeups that are less likely to be contaminated.
• Wiping down the surfaces of powdered makeups once a month (or more) with a tissue or sponge soaked in rubbing alcohol, or scraping the entire top layer away with a knife can often help reduce the bacterial build-up
• Tossing them when they look, smell, or work badly. This is true whether they have reached their expiration dates or end of their usual shelf lives. The best rule is “when in doubt, chuck it out.”

Don’t Take Your Chances!

Just as you would not want to chug a glass of milk that was doubtful in terms of spoiled or not spoiled, you don’t want to take your chances with cosmetics that could be spoiled or past their prime. Doing so might cause you to break out like a teen, at best, or suffer a serious eye infection, at worst. Use the tips we have given, invest in good quality but disposable brushes, learn how to clean them between replacing them and be sure you pay attention to the details on makeup packaging.

You’ll get better results using products if they are cared for properly and in the right date ranges, and you eliminate the risks of problems with the skin, eyes, and lips by doing so.

Related: Beauty on a Budget

More Great Resources on Cosmetic Shelf Life and Expiration:

Here’s What Actually Happens When You Use Expired Makeup

Toss or Save: How to Know If Your Beauty Products Have Gone Bad

Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics