Beauty Tips

Are Your Beauty Products Expired?

You wouldn't drink sour milk, so why would you use beauty products past their prime? Find out what should be tossed -- and when

by Anna Jimenez

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It's easy with food, for the most part, to know when it's better in the bin than on your plate, but with beauty products, which rarely boast a written expiration date, it's a different story.

That handy stamp telling you when it's time to toss an item isn't mandatory on your lipstick or face cream and because of that fact, we often use beauty products that have either lost their effectiveness or contain more bacteria, mold and yeast than we'd like to know about.

Skip to see if your beauty products are expired now.

And why shouldn't we hold on to that liquid foundation until it's within a centimeter of its life? Or squeeze out that very last drop of moisturizer? We're spending hard earned money on this stuff, right? Right. But the likelihood is that if you have a beauty product that is expired, you probably haven't been using it.

So let's all take a moment to admit that we might all have a tendency to hoard and/or buy things we don't actually need because they're either on-trend or we've convinced ourselves that we do, in (illusory) fact, need them.

Well ladies, that perfume you bought ages ago and haven't spritzed on since the first week you purchased it isn't going to smell quite as lovely as it did at the department store. Sad, but true and don't worry, we're all guilty of holding on to things for a bit too long -- even if we haven't touched it in months.

So to help you figure out when all your beauty products should be chucked, and to share some tips that'll help you keep them in tip-top condition for as long as possible, we went to the beauty authorities. With their expert advice, you can save money and much-needed bathroom cabinet space by knowing what to trash and when.

Now, find out how long you should keep your beauty products.

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Older comments

This is tremendous information! Keeping nail polish in the fridge also helps it apply more easily.

by GigiSD Monday, April 29, 2013 at 11:41AM Report as inappropriate

Great information

by EricaC123 Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 08:33AM Report as inappropriate

What if I use makeup cleanser like beautysoclean weekly, will they last longer?

by miyuki_takahashi Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 05:56PM Report as inappropriate

This is really nice, very helpful, I googled similar information not too long ago, but right now I have all the answers I need right in front of me in the same place. Thank you, very helpful, time to dispose of some things =)

by Natalia379 Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 01:39PM Report as inappropriate

This is a nice guide! I'll be cleaning out my makeup stash now!

by StanziMozart Friday, April 13, 2012 at 05:07PM Report as inappropriate

I love these tips...I will definitely take this all in and apply them too. Meaning that I will be making some changes and so better at keeping my products safer to use.

by jbynum Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 10:01PM Report as inappropriate

good to know you can extend the life of some products! i definitely need to follow the other tips to minimize contamination...

by jenstar313 Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 02:58PM Report as inappropriate

I like these tips! They're a nice, general guide as to what to toss when, however I am a little baffled that TB wouldn't include tips on how long to keep products that aren't opened- such as, if I never open a single eye shadow how long can I hold onto it before it will lose it's life? Same with lipstick, body lotion, perfume, etc...bearing in mind the products are stored properly to ensure the longest possible product life, how long can you keep unopened/unexposed products? :) Other than that, I like this guide!

by KathrynMarie Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 02:42PM Report as inappropriate

I knew about and utilize a lot of these tips but I had no idea nail polish should be thrown out so soon!

by powerwoman033 Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 11:12PM Report as inappropriate

Makes me grateful that my foundation comes with a pump head. I'm still keeping things longer than advised. This stuff is too expensive for these time frames.

by krycekov Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 06:13AM Report as inappropriate