Who hasn’t kept a more summery shade foundation, lipstick, or powder for months in a bottomless toiletry bag? Although we do not use certain cosmetics frequently, it is common to accumulate them in case we want to use them again, to take advantage of them for the next season when they are more suitable or simply because they are not finished.
Like almost all general and personal hygiene products, cosmetics also expire and it is not advisable to extend their life beyond their expiration date.
The professional makeup artist Natalia Carballo explains and shows how two equal makeup bases oxidize their tone over time until they seem like two different products. The professional clarifies that, sometimes, the smell does not vary, so we can think that they are still reusable, but clues like the previous one help us to verify that they are in poor condition.
In addition to aesthetically we can worsen the appearance of our makeup, expired cosmetics can damage the skin: irritation, contact dermatitis or eczema are the most visible consequences. The texture of the products will also not be the same over time and, in the case of creams, the active ingredients will cease to be effective, so great care must be taken with expired sunscreens to avoid burns).
“The expiration date of a cosmetic is variable depending on the product,” says the makeup artist. Normally, if we do not open a cosmetic that we have just bought, according to the laboratories, we can use it for up to three years without it having lost its properties or deteriorating its quality. But at the moment when we unscrew the brush of a mascara, for example, we have to take into account its PAO (Period after opening), which is indicated by a jar drawing on the packaging, which shows the number of months we can use it (for example, 12M).
Carballo leaves a table of the approximate duration of the most common cosmetics:
– Mascara for lashes: 6 months.
– Powder products (shades, blushes, compact makeup …): between 12 and 36 months.
– Cream or fluid products (moisturizers, makeup bases, concealers, eye contours, cream shadows …): between 12 and 24 months.
– Eye, lip and eyebrow pencils: 12 months.
– Sunscreens: 12 months.
– Nail lacquers: 12 months approximately.
– Makeup removers: from 6 to 12 months.
– Lipsticks: from 12 to 36 months.
“The more aqueous and oily ingredients a cosmetic has, the shorter its life will be because these components deteriorate over time. The same does not happen with powdered products, which lack it and that is why their life is longer ”, explains the makeup artist.
Tips for preserving cosmetics
Keeping the products in good condition will also help us extend their life. These are some of the tricks of the professional:
– Keep them in a cool and ventilated place.
– Avoid being at high temperatures, for example the trunk of the car, directly in the sun, in the kitchen …
– So that the lipsticks or nail polishes do not spoil before the count, put them in the fridge.
– If you are prone to styes, once you use the mascara or eyeliner and you get a stye, throw them away, regardless of how long they have. That mask is more than likely contaminated. Also if you used a pencil, sharpen it excessively to remove the contaminated part.
– The bases, over time, tend to separate the ingredients, that’s why they look oily. When you see your base looking weird, throw it away. You will avoid problems.
