When you think fall, football, changing leaves and pumpkin spice might dominate your thoughts but what about your skincare? Fall is a great time to do a skincare refresh and look at all those products sitting on your shelves. Over time, we all accumulate skincare products that pass their expiration date and your kitchen cabinets are probably worse. And we have all been in this situation–We find a product we haven’t used in a while, look at the expiration date, and rationalize, “It’s probably fine. I’m sure it still works, and expiration dates don’t really matter. It’s just some government requirement or trick to get you to buy more, right?”
Well, expiration dates do serve a purpose. Exposure to heat, sunlight, and moisture can shorten the lifespan of skincare products. Certain ingredients may lose their effectiveness over time, and there can also be a risk of bacterial or yeast growth. Preservatives are often added to products to make them last longer, but some new products are preservative free. This is a newer trend for clean or organic products with a more natural focus. It’s particularly important to watch out for their expiration dates. You might be able to extend their shelf life by putting them in a refrigerator but it depends on the ingredients and if they can tolerate the cold. And don’t worry, you don’t have to store them next to the milk. You can add a cosmetic refrigerator to your bathroom. They are fairly small and can sit on the counter. With your products in your bathroom, you can keep them separate from food, and you don’t need to walk all the way to the kitchen.
As for expiration dates, you can find them on the back of the bottle or the bottom of a jar. If your product came in a box, the expiration date may also be on the box. If you don’t see a date, you may see a number, a reference to the “period after opening,” or POA. The POA is listed as 6, 12, 24, 36 and refers to the number of months a product is good for after being opened. So if your face cream says 12M, you want to throw it out 12 months after you opened it. If your product does not have an expiration date or POA listed, then a one to two year rule is a good guide if the product is stored properly. You can write the month and year you purchased the product on the bottle or jar. This will help you remember when doing your cleanout. Once you open a product, use it within one year. Be sure to store products in a cool, dry place. Ironically, our bathrooms are usually not the best place to store our skincare products due to heat and moisture.
Another way to look for expiration dates is the batch number. If you look below the barcode, you will find a combination of numbers and letters unique to an individual product batch. You can enter the batch number into an online batch code checker to find out the shelf-life. Some products will also have an hour glass symbol and a “best before date.” It is required for formulas that expire after 30 months, whether opened or unopened. If the best before date has passed, then toss the product.
It’s especially important to pay attention to sunscreen expiration dates. In addition to POA dates, some sunscreen manufacturers use a five-digit date code listed on the bottom of the bottle or can. The first two numbers are the last two digits of the manufacturing year, and the next three are the day of the year. The sunscreen is good unopened three years from that date. For example, if the code is 22150A, this means the sunscreen was manufactured on the 150th day of 2022. It would then expire on the 150th day of 2025.
If you forgot to write down a purchase or open date, I recommend using the see, feel, and smell test as a guide to toss your products.
See: The product looks different in color, or you see evidence of mold, like green or black spots.
Feel: Product has separated or changed in texture
Smell: The product has a bad, rotten smell
Overall, you can help your products last longer by following a few tips:
- Wash your hands before using products.
- Don’t use your hands for jars and products that don’t have a dispenser! Use a clean spatula or Q-tip to scoop the products out and then apply to your skin.
- Keep lids and caps on consistently.
- Store products in a cool, dry place like a cabinet or a drawer.
- Throw out eye products after you have had an eye infection.
- Every Spring and Fall, toss out expired items.
Trotter’s Take.Expiration dates do matter. They aren’t simply a ploy to get you but more product. They are in place to ensure your skincare products are safe and effective, giving you the desired results. When in doubt, always throw it out!
