topic Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and.... in Beauty

How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

AngelPuppy1 — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:28:19 GMT

I have a habit of buying too many cosmetics and then squirreling them away and forgetting about them. I then discover them later - unopened --- and do not know how old they are.

How long do unopened, sealed cosmetics last? Also, is there some type of coding on the products that tells you the date? I cannot find dates on anything!

Thanks!

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

millieshops — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:10:55 GMT

@AngelPuppy1Almost none of them will do any harm after any dates you can find although I personally don't take chances with eye make-up so I regularly discard that except for brow pencils.

All the cleansers and serums and moisturizers should be okay to use but as they go out beyond their BEST BY dates, they may be less effective. Do keep in mind lots of those dates are designed to persuade us to buy more or to protect the companies - not really to protect us.

Do smell everything old and discard rancid and the same for appearance or texture if you know what that should be - noticeable changes and I toss.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

Diva on The Q — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:16:33 GMT

@AngelPuppy1: Why not open one of the boxes and try it to see if it's still potent.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

pommom — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:22:28 GMT

@AngelPuppy1

Most cosmetic containers have a small icon on the back of the label. It looks like a jar with an open lid. I have seen 6, 12 & 24 next to it indicating the months the product is guaranteed good once the container/tube is opened. Most products have a shelf life of 2 years unopened. I would contact the makeup line customer service just to be sure.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

SilleeMee — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:14:22 GMT

CheckCosmetic dot net has a place where you can enter the brand and lot number to get an estimated shelf life date.

There is also some other good info about freshness, what to look for in expiring products and also opened product expirations.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

Shanus — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:35:38 GMT

@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
I have a habit of buying too many cosmetics and then squirreling them away and forgetting about them. I then discover them later - unopened --- and do not know how old they are.

How long do unopened, sealed cosmetics last? Also, is there some type of coding on the products that tells you the date? I cannot find dates on anything!

Thanks!

Good morning @AngelPuppy1. The best rule of thumb is opened skincare about a year, Vit. C serum turns yellow and inactive before that. Mascara should be changed every 3 months, eyeshadow and other powdered products 2-3 yrs. (unless gets funky smell), liquid/stick/cream foundations or blushes not more than 18 months and lipgloss or lipsticks 2 yrs. unless they smell funny. Eye & lip pencils should be sharpened regularly to keep them fresh.

***I use a Sharpie to mark the date when I open a new product.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

geezerette — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:06:35 GMT

@Shanus wrote:
@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
I have a habit of buying too many cosmetics and then squirreling them away and forgetting about them. I then discover them later - unopened --- and do not know how old they are.

How long do unopened, sealed cosmetics last? Also, is there some type of coding on the products that tells you the date? I cannot find dates on anything!

Thanks!

Good morning @AngelPuppy1. The best rule of thumb is opened skincare about a year, Vit. C serum turns yellow and inactive before that. Mascara should be changed every 3 months, eyeshadow and other powdered products 2-3 yrs. (unless gets funky smell), liquid/stick/cream foundations or blushes not more than 18 months and lipgloss or lipsticks 2 yrs. unless they smell funny. Eye & lip pencils should be sharpened regularly to keep them fresh.
***I use a Sharpie to mark the date when I open a new product.

I mark when I receive the product and again when I open it. That gives me a good idea of how fast I use the product so I don't end up buying way more than I use.

Marking when I receive it also lets me know which items on my shelf I need to use first, which also helps to avoid your problem, @AngelPuppy1 .

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

Shanus — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 17:52:04 GMT

@geezerette I use a sticky note to put the date on unopened products just in case I decide to return it. If I have more than one in back up, I also put #1, #2 so I use them in order. I usually only sunscreen and mascara backups.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

Grouchomarx — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 18:04:18 GMT

Unopened properly stored should be a few years. The routinely quote 2 years for unopened mascaras on tv. I would only think that liquid foundations and concealer might get weird after a really long time but I don't personally know. Anything powder is very stable.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

geezerette — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 18:27:40 GMT

@Shanus wrote:
@geezerette I use a sticky note to put the date on unopened products just in case I decide to return it. If I have more than one in back up, I also put #1, #2 so I use them in order. I usually only sunscreen and mascara backups.

@Shanus

That's what I do too!

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

AngelPuppy1 — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:13:31 GMT

Thanks, everyone! Sounds like everyone is more organized than I am! I should try to be more mindful of what I am buying. I'm going to have to try and start making a note of what and when I buy stuff. Some really good suggestions here. I appreciate it!

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

nyc1 — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:45:51 GMT

Most of my creams have production codes on the bottom of the jars, and I can tell from the series which is the oldest. As far as make up, I have eye shadows that go back DECADES and are perfectly fine and beautiful. They are powder shadows and not cream. Lipsticks can go years depending on the brand and product itself. I've stocked up on certain things due to discontinuation fear, which has happened to me far too often.

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

pommom — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:54:56 GMT

@Shanus

I do the very same thing!!! (use Sharpie)

Have had to get creative with those products that don't take a sharpie and use a cut-to-size label indicating the first time I used the product. Sometimes labels won't adhere, so I go to the old tried-and-true method of taping a piece of paper on the back of the container. One way or the other, that sucker is going to get the info I need on it!

Re: How long are unopened cosmetics good for and....

Shelbelle — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 16:21:18 GMT

I keep them as long as the color, smell and consistency does not change.