Vault

Max value reached

Adding this item would put you over your total vault limit of $250. please review your cart to stay under the limit.

Expiration Dates – Do you check yours?

11 November, 2013 - 07:11pm by - First Lady | 61 Comments

by BR Natalie

We're not talking about what's in your fridge – we want to know who checks the expiration dates of their beauty products?

All beauty products will have an expiration date indicated by a small symbol like the one pictured above. It shows the number of months after opening that your product is at it's best for.  Why after opening?  Exposure to air, germies and the environment affect the formula and cause the product to lose some of it's fabulous qualities. 

You might be surprised at how short a life span some products have! Here's a quick guide for the products most of us use regularly.

Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel - about 3 years, although these are probably the things we use up the most! Paraben-free options will last for a shorter period, generally up to a year.

Mascara and Liquid Eyeliner – 3 to 4 months. It's recommended you're particularly conscientious of this expiration period to prevent contamination and infections.

Pencils (Eye and Lip) - 3 to 5 years. Sharpening them before each use is a way to keep them clean.

Body lotion - Two to three years. Pumps last longer as there's less exposure to air.

Anti-aging and acne treatments – 3 to 12 months. Ingredients in these products are easily oxidised, so if it changes colour, it's time for the bin.

Lipstick – 2 years. if it has gone dry it's probably gone bad.

Lip Gloss – 1 year. Is your lip gloss extra sticky? Time to ditch it!

Foundation - It depends on the type; liquid foundation should last around a year – if it separates or appears lighter then it's time to go shopping!

Powders – About 2 years. Want to get the most from your eyeshadows blush, powder foundations, eyeshadows? Clean your brushes to limit contamination, and don't share them with others! 

Perfume – 2 years. Store it in a cool, dark place and you'll get the most out of it. 

Nail polish – 1 year. If it's gloopy or won't mix after a quick shake it's time to say bye-bye.

Hair Styling products – 3 to 5 years. Most contain some form of alcohol which acts as a preservative.

Sunscreen – This will be printed with an expiration date; follow it strictly.

Unopened Products.

Generally unopened products have a shelf life of around 3 years.  Perfumes and nail polishes stored correctly will last longer.

Comments

Please sign in or register to add a comment.

10th September, 2014

Well Ive learned heaps didnt know perfiume was two years.

21st August, 2014

Is it expiration from the time I open it or from the time the company makes it?

28th February, 2014

I've never checked them... embarrassed to say I don't know how old my mascara is

27th February, 2014

I am aware of expiration dates once I've opened the product, but they expire before I could finish the product so I continue using them. I can't afford to renew each item once it's 'expired', especially mascara!

17th February, 2014

Eeeeek I never think about expiry date with mascara and at any one time I will be using several at once.

17th February, 2014

I usually check...but I also go by any changes to the product. Some things go off sooner with frequent use and some seem to last longer. Sunscreen I always follow as I used an expired one by accident and was a lobster at the end of the day!

17th February, 2014

Thanks be Zoe im so going through as I write this I did think powders last abit longer im very surprise I might have today some shopping good excuse :-)

13th February, 2014

I think that I'm definitely due for a make-up clear out.

6th February, 2014

I used an expired sunblock recently. I was being really good and applied it twice over afternoon and to my surprise I was very burnt that evening. My friend checked the sunblock and it had expired a year ago, so no wonder. I hadn't really thought about it before but went through all our sunblock bottles and found 2 more had also expired. We live in Tauranga so have bottles everywhere. My recommendation buy one or two and use them all before getting any more, they are too expensive to waste.

4th February, 2014

Thanks for the tips!

31st January, 2014

I'm pretty terrible with my beauty products... I spot clean brushes between uses and often sit down and spray compacts, eyeshadows, lipsticks & so on with isopropyl to try kill off some of the bacteria. I'd NEVER get through my nail polishes in a year though! I thin them out when they get too thick...

30th January, 2014

I do know about expiry dates but because i bulk buy high end makeup I really can't handle the thought of tossing all that money in the trash! Every few months I do however go through it all and rotate what I'm using and get a collection of older items that I'm not going to use again and gift/sell them on. It's really amazing what people will buy on TradeMe!

28th January, 2014

I look for them but don't always find them. Every now and again I go through and do a throw out of stuff that has been around for a long time. I see people asking for makeup for kids parties on Freecycle but never give my used products to anyone due to the risk of infection.

26th January, 2014

Oops.....guilty! But the only stuff that appears to go off has been anything purchased from Lush that goes beyond expiry......and that definitely smells off too.

24th January, 2014

This kinda makes me less keen to buy expensive products :( I always "save" them for a special occasion and never end up using all of it.

WELCOME TO NZ'S BIGGEST BEAUTY GUIDE!

READ AND WRITE REVIEWS ON YOUR FAVOURITE (or not so favourite!) PRODUCTS!

Sign up to receive our newsletter and stay up to date with all of the latest happenings here at Beauty Review!

You'll be the first to know about Trial Teams, Vault restocks and Giveaways.

We promise never to spam you - only to share the best in NZ beauty!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST!