How To Know when Makeup is Expired

Those of us who use makeup know that, traditionally, a cosmetic company will not directly mark expiration dates on the actual products. It is basically up to you to keep track of how long you have been using the product and how close to expiration it now is. All general makeup categories have the same general range until expiration which is why these mega companies get away with not giving you an exact date as to when you should toss out your products.

Why would there be limited edition products if the products can expire?

This is simple, limited edition products are marketing schemes. They are not actually typically limited at all, in actuality the products usually get name changes and new designs to fit the changing season, or in some cases become new products with new companies altogether. Many companies will actually offer online directories to find the equivalent substitutes for past limited edition products. If you cannot find those products, they can be recreated by fairly expensive companies to the exact same detail.

What are the signs of an expired product?

Expired makeup is aged cosmetic wear which after time the chemicals within the products begin separating and changing, thus changing the actual effectiveness along with possible harmful effects when applied.

Just like perfumes, when makeup goes off it can start developing a strange smell; the creamy or lumpiness of the product in general can also change. For example expired cover-up can cause serious skin irritation and acne when the product was designed not too. While products such as lipstick can lose their effectiveness on lips instead of being creamy and slick can become clumpy and flaky making your lips feel dry, chapped, and hard to manage properly.

The standards for how long makeup products typically last are as the following;

• Foundation, Cover-up, and Concealer – Typically will expire after about 3 months of use or non-use. This is due to bacteria buildup within the product, which will cause severe cases of acne.
• Blush – These products can live up to 12 months without expiring. Blush can be lived longer if it is the dry powder kind by keeping extra care in cleaning your brush between each application to prevent exposing to bacteria.
• Mascara – this product normally only lives 3 to 4 months. This is due to the facts that the bacteria accumulated in mascara over a period of time can lead to serious eye infections and blindness if not treated long term.
• Eye Shadow Creams and Powders – Eye shadow should only be used a maximum of 6 months after purchase just like mascara, eye shadow has serious side effects from the buildup of bacteria traveling into the wearers eyes, creating severe side effects within the eye.