When talking about beauty products shelf life, there are several things one should consider. Even though every woman wants to keep her favorite product and consume it to the last drop, remember that when degraded, beauty products can cause serious skin irritations or infections.
We know it's hard to throw products out, but keep in mind that
beauty products go bad too. Face creams, serums, lipsticks, and
foundations, they are all susceptible to bacteria and germs.
Therefore, for how long can we keep them?
Face creams
Usually, most face creams, especially those containing drugs, carry
expiration date. However, cosmeceutical face creams shouldn't be
kept, in general, for more than 6 months. The acidity of the skin
on your fingers can deteriorate the active ingredients of the
product that can be contaminated by bacteria. Moreover, other
ingredients can degrade when exposed to air or in direct sunlight.
As for the care products containing essential oils, they should be
kept for maximum 4 months, while the “bio” creams should be use
more rapidly as they are more likely to develop microbial
growth.
How to store face creams? Keep them in your bathroom cabinet. Also,
try to use a spatula when applying cream in order to avoid that the
acidity of the skin to degrade the cream. It is a good idea to keep
the backing paper on, after opening the cream.
Foundation
It is advisable that a liquid foundation to be hold for 6 months,
even though on the packaging is written “12 months”, as the
covering properties are easily and quickly altered. As for the
compact foundation, this should be kept for 8 months because its
oily and dry ingredients offer much more resistance to different
external factors. Store your foundation into a dry place, away from
light, especially if it has a transparent
packaging.
Powder, blush
As bacteria cannot develop where there is no water, the recommended
shelf life for powder and blush is of about 2 years. A creamy blush
might degrade quicker as you might transfer germs into the pot when
applying it with your fingers. Therefore, it is more appropriate to
use a brush or a sponge when applying them.
Mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow
Usually a mascara can be kept for about 3 to 6 months, after this
period it loses efficacy. When used daily, a small mascara lasts
for about 2 months. Try to invest in smaller tubes and change them
frequently. You should always keep in mind that eye products should
me replaced more often as they can cause unwanted eye infections,
such as conjunctivitis.
Liquid eyeliners can last for three months, while pencil eyeliners,
two years. As for the eyeshadows, those with a creamy texture have
a shelf life of 6 months, while the powder eyeshadows, 2 years.
Lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, lip liner
Women usually hold their favorite lipstick until the last small
nub. Lipsticks and lip glosses are makeup products very sensitive
to light as rays degrade their pigments. Furthermore, lipsticks
contain water and this makes them a real source of bacteria.
Therefore, keeping in mind that everything you apply on your lips
enters directly into your mouth, try to hold lipsticks for about 9
months, maximum 12.
Store them into your makeup kit or in the bathroom cabinet. Avoid
putting them into the fridge as cold modifies the molecules that
allow the active ingredients to penetrate the skin.
Serums
Serums should be kept for about 6 months as they are more fragile
products that rapidly lose their effectiveness especially those
containing essential oils. Some of these serums can be stored into
the fridge, but also in the bathroom.
Cleansing lotions
Cleansing lotions can be kept for about 9 to 12 months. However,
complex cleansing lotions are more fragile and have a shorter shelf
life of 6 to 9 months.