Key Points
Using expired beauty products can irritate skin or spread bacteria, so tossing old items protects your skin’s health.Changes in texture, smell, color, or performance signal that a product is unsafe or ineffective and should be thrown away immediately.Eye makeup, active skincare, post-procedure serums, and acne treatments carry the highest risk if used past their expiration.
Every so often, it’s important to go through all of your beauty products and make sure they’re still safe to use. It’s easy to accumulate empties and half-used items over time, so doing a thorough cleanout this time of year to refresh and restock can be beneficial. Not all products have the same shelf life, so knowing which ones are past their prime is crucial for your skin’s overall health. We spoke with dermatologists Carolyn Jacob and Solomiya Grushchak from Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology about how to spot expired products, which ones pose the greatest risk once they go bad, and how long certain products actually last when stored properly.
4 Signs Your Beauty Product Has Expired
Like food, it’s important to throw out products past their expiration dates. “They haven’t been tested for efficacy or safety beyond those dates, and the concern is that you’d be just wasting time putting on product that isn’t helping your skin,” says Jacob. “The skin is the largest organ of your body, so you need to treat it well with fresh product that is good for you,” she adds.
While going through your bathroom cabinet and makeup bag, Jacob and Grushchak suggest tossing products that show any of these four signs as soon as possible:
Texture: Assess the texture of each product when you pump or pour it onto your hand. If there is separation, clumping, grittiness, or oil pooling, it’s time to toss it.Smell: If the product has a sour, rancid, or metallic odor, this is a key sign that it’s no longer safe to use. “This is especially true of sunscreen, which then will not provide protection to the skin, leading to the potential for a severe sunburn if the product is expired,” Jacob says.Performance: Skincare and makeup products that show weakened pigmentation or reduced foaming are no longer performing as intended.Visible pigment changes: Be aware of color changes, especially in antioxidant products such as vitamin C serums. This is a sign that the product is no longer stable.
3 High-Risk Products to Never Use Past Their Time
Eye makeup: Products such as mascara, liquid eyeliner, and cream eye shadows should never be used past their prime. Water-based formulas and products that come into frequent eye contact can breed bacteria, which may lead to styes, irritation, or conjunctivitis. Toss mascara and eyeliner if you’ve had an eye infection; continuing to use them could cause another infection, says Grushchak.
Products with active ingredients: Skincare products such as vitamin C serums, retinoids, and AHAs and BHAs can degrade quickly if they aren’t properly sealed after use. Exposure to air and light oxidizes these actives, making them ineffective and potentially irritating.
Post-procedure serums and acne spot treatments: These products, used on broken skin, can cause irritation or infection if they’re contaminated or have expired.
If you notice a new, sudden stinging or burning sensation from a product, it’s likely past its time, according to Grushchak. Other signs your skin is being irritated by a beauty product include redness or flaking.
How Long You Should Keep Beauty Products
Always store beauty products in a cool environment to keep their intended shelf life. Keeping skincare and makeup in a bathroom with poor ventilation can shorten their shelf life due to heat and steam. If properly kept, Grushchak says they should last for the timelines listed below:
Skincare
Makeup
Mascara: 3 monthsLiquid eyeliner: 3 to 4 monthsCream and liquid foundation: 6 to 12 monthsConcealer: 6 to 12 monthsLipsticks: 12 to 18 monthsPowder products: 18 to 24 months
Products that have “natural” or preservative-free formulas tend to expire faster, so check for these types of products during your cleanout, Grushchak suggests.
