The INSIDER Summary:
- Beauty products don’t last forever. Old makeup loses its quality and can even cause irritation and infections if it’s used past its expiration date.
- There’s a tiny symbol on your cosmetics and skin care items that tells you how long your products are safe to use after you’ve opened them.
- Look out for the open cream jar symbol, which indicates the number of months a product is designed to last.
With the exception of a very good lipstick, makeup is not made to stay on all day. Nor is it designed to last forever.
Eventually, you’ll need to throw out your favorite beauty products and replace them with new ones. Old makeup loses its quality, becomes harder to apply, and can even become harmful to your skin and cause infections thanks to bacteria build-up.
Figuring out when you should throw away your beauty products is simple: Look at the packaging.
There’s a tiny symbol on the label that most people don’t even notice, which tells you how long your products will last after you’ve opened them.
Look out for this open cream jar icon, known as the PAO (or “Period After Opening”) symbol, which includes the number of months a product is safe to use after it has been unsealed.
The PAO was introduced on cosmetics labels in 2005 by the European Commission, which requires all cosmetic products with a shelf life of 30 months or more to feature the symbol. Products that have a shorter shelf life than 30 months must include the minimum shelf life or best before date on the label.
While the US currently doesn’t require cosmetics to have an expiration date by law, the US Food & Drug Administration holds manufacturers responsible for ensuring their products are safe to use — and determining the shelf life of a product is considered part of their duty to consumers.
That’s why, when you look through your makeup bag, you’re likely to find the symbol on nearly all of your beauty products.
The shelf life varies depending on the type of beauty product. I raided through my makeup bag to demonstrate how long certain products last compared to others.
Products for the face like primer, foundation, and blush will typically last for up to 24 months after they’ve been opened.
I’ll need to throw out my favorite Yves Saint Laurent blush in two years…
…and my everyday Clinique foundation.
Lip products should be thrown away sooner, usually after a year. This PAO icon, on the bottom of my colleague Sarah’s Tarte lipstick, is so tiny you can’t see it unless you zoom in really close.
And mascara should be replaced even more regularly.
While the PAO on my Tarte mascara says it will last for up to 12 months, the FDA recommends getting rid of mascara after it becomes dry to prevent irritation to the eyes.
Sarah’s CoverGirl mascara has a shorter life span of six months.
In addition to your makeup, you’ll find the symbol on your skin care products.
This Caudalie toner is good to use for nine months.
My Caudalie eye cream unsurprisingly has a shorter shelf life of just six months.
Now, start digging through your makeup bag and bathroom cabinet — just as you would go through your fridge — and throw out any products you’ve been using way past their expiration date!
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