Like food, expired makeup can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
At your own risk, take a gander into someone’s makeup bag—you may discover a cringeworthy hoard of years-old makeup. Whether you bought something because you were too easily swayed by a salesperson at a beauty counter or you just have a makeup hoarding problem (like me), chances are you’ve been building a beauty graveyard of several foundation bottles or primer potions that you’ve only pumped once. Not to mention the eyeshadow palette that you’ve only used two shades out of, leaving the rest of the loner shades untouched. But why should you let it go? Well, beyond the blatant signs of expiration, like dried mascara and crumbling eyeshadow, it can be tough to tell when makeup has met its end.
In a perfect world, our favorite makeup products would last forever and save us so many trips to Sephora. But the truth is, regardless of whether they’re brand new or on their last leg, beauty products do go bad. Even worse, they can cause skin and health problems if not disposed of at the proper time.
“Like food, makeup has an expiration date, and over time cosmetics can harbor harmful bacteria that can lead to infections,”states Dr. David Schlessinger, a board-certified oculoplastic surgeon and ophthalmologist, and medical director of Schlessinger Eye & Face. “The risks are multiplied when these products are shared among friends.” Here’s exactly how to purge or preserve those products that’ve been collecting dust.
How to Know if Your Makeup Is Expired
Surprisingly, U.S. labeling regulations don’t mandate an expiration date on most cosmetics, making it that much trickier to determine its lifespan. However, there are a few telltale signs that your makeup’s gone bad. In general, the easiest way to tell if a product has properly served its time is by observing visual and olfactory changes. If a product separates, changes color or texture, or smells off, odds are it’s well past its expiration date.
Beginning from the time you first open your products, this is the general rule of thumb you should be following:
- Powders and shadows: 2 years
- Cream shadows: 12-18 months
- Cream shadows: 12-18 months
- Foundation: 1 year
- Lipstick & lipliner: 1 year
- Mascara & eyeliners: 3 months
Source: marieclaire.com
