Are you guilty of hoarding makeup? So much so that a whiff of foul smell and chemical odour makes you wonder, 'When did I purchase this product again?' Besides such telltale signs indicating its termination, when should you toss out a cosmetic product? How do you ensure that it does not become a reservoir of bacteria?
A makeup product journey to expiration starts when opened. Hence, when exposed to air certain ingredients start to degrade and oxidise. Consequently, it introduces textural problems in the formula, such as dries out, smells funny, lacks pigmentation, and changes colour.
Although some expired beauty products have sentimental value, it is still imperative to toss them out. That is if you don’t want to harbour a potential breeding ground of bacteria and risk having skin problems — irritation, bumps, acne, eye infection, and lips swelling.
When should you discard a makeup product? Some cosmetic products have a small open jar symbol that is the PAO, Period after Opening. The number in the jar indicates how long a product is good for after it is opened.
So, you can’t pinpoint the jar label? Well, read on to find out an estimated ‘toss it out’ time for various makeup products.
The First Step
Apply a primer for up to 24 months to help smooth the skin surface and increase the longevity of makeup.
Evening Out the Skin Tone
Save your skin from any negative reactions by tossing out your liquid face formula after 6 months. Because repeatedly dipping your fingers and brushes in the foundation can transfer germs to the product and subsequently to the face. On the other hand, powder formulas have a longer shelf life of 2 years due to a lack of water content.
Concealing the Mini Monsters
A cream concealer can be used from 6 months to 1 year. However, if it starts to feel or look clumpy, it is time to toss it.
Rosy Cheeks
Powder blushes can stay in your collection for two years as opposed to a cream blush, which can be stored for a year to 18 months. Similarly, multi-purpose sticks — for cheeks and lips — should be replaced after a year to 18 months.
Chiselled Face
Contour palettes are press powders that can be used for 2 years. However, a liquid contour should be replaced after 12 months.
Plump Up the Lashes
But only for three months to avoid eye infection. How many of you pump a mascara wand vigorously back and forth to pack on the product? It pushes air into the tube, causing the formula to dry out and become chalky. To retain the integrity of the formulation, slowly draw out the brush and gently scrape the interior of the tube to pack on the product.
Accentuate the Eyes
Toss out the liquid eyeliners after 3 months. They are more prone to contamination and just like mascaras, do not share your liquid eyeliners. On the other hand, pencil eyeliners can be sharpened to get a clean surface; hence they can be stored for 2 years. Please ensure that you regularly sanitize the sharpener with rubbing alcohol. In contrast, a pot of gel eyeliner should be replaced more frequently — 2 months.
Splash of Colours
Store your cream shadows for 6 months and powder eyeshadows for 2 years; unless you wet the latter eyeshadows in that case, switch them out after 6 months.
Outlining and Swiping on Colour
Apply lipsticks and glosses for two years. Lipliners, just like eyeliners, have a longer shelf life because they can be sharpened — 2 years or more.
Dress Up the Brows
An eyebrow pencil has a decent shelf life of one year.
To summarise, the more liquid and moist a product is the shorter its life span. In contrast, powder formulas (less prone to contamination) and pencil products have a longer life span.
