How to Know When It's Time to Toss Your Beauty Products
Photo Credit: Into the Gloss
Have you ever found the perfect shade of lipstick, or the best face cream, and you’ve had it forever and just can’t bring yourself to get rid of? We're sorry to say, but it may be time to let it go. As much as you love it, if it’s expired, it’s not only beyond gross, but also not safe to use. Just like you wouldn’t eat moldy bread, you really shouldn’t use expired makeup.
Here’s why you should toss out your ancient beauty products: when a product is expired, the formula is no longer working which can cause you some serious skin issues, like acne (ewww!), and when a formula breaks down, it makes the product ineffective. How will you know? Sometimes, it will smell funny or be discolored. Super ewww!
So now that we know why we shouldn’t be using expired makeup, let’s talk about how long you should really be keeping your products.
All products have ingredient and expiration information on them. Usually, there is a symbol located on the back of the products that looks like a tub with a number in the middle. This number indicates how many months you have from when you open it until its time to toss it. Some other products give an exact date when they expire, just like food. If says nothing, don’t worry! Here’s some rules of thumb to follow.
Skincare products
Cleanser – 1 year
Toner – 1 year
Moisturizer – 1 year
Sunscreen – 1 to 2 years
Face
Primer – 6 months to 1 year
Foundation – 1 year
Concealer – 6 months to 1 year
Blush – 1 year
Bronzer – 1 year
Highlighter – 1 year
Eyes
Eyeshadow – 2 years
Eyeliner – liquid: 3 to 6 months / pencil: 1 year
Eyelashes – 2 to 3 uses
Mascara – 6 months
Eyebrow pencil – 2 years
Lips
Lipliner – 1 year
Liquid lipstick – 1 year
Lipstick – 1 to 2 years
Lip gloss – 1 year
Lip balm – 1 year
These are estimates so please note that some products vary in expiration date. Be sure to check the back of your product to see when it expires. If your product starts to smell weird, look weird or apply weird, forget numbers and just toss it.
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