Carry on Beautiful!

Most girls have a bag full of useless beauty products that resemble a lucky dip, only difference being the prize is 5 year old lipstick. I’m sure you have heard stories of women using the one mascara for years, only keeping it for special occasions, ignoring the extra clogginess every time they removed the brush from its cannister. Have you ever wondered about the often ignored, lost or completely absent expiry date on some of these products? Find out some of the the expiry dates for your favourite cosmetics to ensure you’re not overusing any of your products.

Mascara – If you are one to over keep your cosmetics, you could end up with a much loved three year old mascara, that is actually 21 months out of date! The average mascara lasts 2-3 months from being opened, meaning you should not ignore that extra clogginess every time you remove the applicator brush from the cannister. As soon as the liquid starts to clog, or even smell you should dispose of the product straight away.

Cleansers  – The average facial cleansers last anywhere between 6-9 months, although some products, such as a whitener cleanser for the face, can last up to 12 months. This isn’t too bad considering the average person goes through one facial cleansing product a month ,so there is less chance of it causing any sort of expiry date facial reaction than some other products.

Foundation – Foundation is one of the most used products in the cosmetic industry, but did you know the average shelf life for this product is 6-12 months. Although it does seem like a long shelf life for something that is used to cover your face, some women have been known to keep different bottles of foundation for different occasions. If you happen to be holding onto an  expensive bottle of foundation for a special occasion, it might be time to check the expiration date on it.

Body Lotion – Have you ever found one of your mother’s body lotions as a child, thickened and discolored around the brim, making it impossible to ooze out when you sneakily tried to use it? More than likely, the body lotion was more than 2 years old, which is the average shelf life for this product. So if you have received a Christmas lotion that’s been in your cupboard for more than 2 years, it would probably be time to throw it away now.

Lipstick – That 5 year old lucky dip lipstick isn’t so lucky after all. 2 years is the maximum time for a lipstick until it expires. For gloss lovers, there is even less time, with 1 year being the maximum time you can keep those lips shining with the one product.

So now you know the maximum shelf life for some of the beauty industry’s most sold products, what does it mean? Just because these products have expiry dates, it does not actually mean the product won’t work, or give you an instant reaction through using it. Although the risk of becoming sick is raised through the use of expired products, it is still just a date suggestion offered by cosmetic companies. It is also an indication of when the chemicals within the product will stop doing their job as well. So potentially, they are still fine to use, it is just suggested not to use them after these dates!

-Dana