Beauty

[grammarqueen]

I got a couple of Estee Lauder lipsticks about six ago, and I just checked their batch code on that Cosmetic Calculator website I found a month ago. I expected them to have been manufactured in 2012 or 2013, but they were manufactured in 2007! Now, I know lipstick may be used after the expiration date and still be okay, but this is ridiculous. I got them at Macy's, and I just assumed they'd damage out product that old and not sell it. And Estee Lauder is popular, what about the Chanel counters, where the cosmetics are expensive and don't have a great turnover?

And just saying, I'd avoid getting cosmetics like the plague at those outlet malls in stores like The Cosmetics Company Store. Everything I got there was way, way past its expiration date when I checked them.

[ennui1]

How can they be expired if they've never been opened?

That Cosmetic Calculator website is BS.

[Tinkrbl44]

I don't understand .... if you bought the lipstick six years ago, that's 2008. So being manufactured in 2007 is about right.

One thing you never know is how often stock turns over in a department store. If it's not a fast seller, it could be there for ages!

[grammarqueen]

Tinkrbl44, thanks for the heads up. I can't edit my original post, but I purchased the lipsticks about 6 months ago, not 6 years! (It says "six ago" - grammarqueen failed to proofread, bad girl.) And yes, in my recent makeup purge I did find stuff I had bought 5+ years ago, and out they went. I had used them and they were smelling funky.

[skuggles]

You're right. I think it happens a lot more than we'd be comfortable with if we paid attention and knew.

[Bella Carro]

Grammarqueen, can you clarify when you purchased? Looks like you missed a word after "six" in your first sentence. TIA

[grammarqueen]

I wouldn't want to buy a product like lipstick, gloss or mascara that has perishable ingredients 5 years past the expiration date, even if they hadn't ever been opened, any more than I'd buy milk at the grocery that was a week past its expiration date.

[grammarqueen]

I want to clarify that I'm not talking about cosmetics that have been opened. I'm talking about product that has sat unopened on department or drug store shelves for 5 years or more before it is sold to a customer. I don't care if it's never been opened; sooner or later, ingredients are going to start deteriorating at some point, especially if it's moist or cream-based, like mascara or lipstick. Seriously, if you walked into your favorite department store to plunk down $25+ or more for a lipstick, wouldn't you want one that was manufactured less than 3 years ago as opposed to one that was made 7 or more years ago? I would.

[EnglishRose88]

Where's the batch code no.?

[scotnovel]

On 5/9/2014 ennui1 said:

How can they be expired if they've never been opened?

That Cosmetic Calculator website is BS.

It is possible for some ingredients to deteriorate when the package has not been opened. I had some hand cream that was stored sort of accidentally (in room temp) for awhile and when I tried to use it it had changed color and texture and was not usable.