How To Tell If Makeup Is Expired + Decoding Beauty Product Shelf Life

 

So the local beauty community has been talking about this topic that was resurfaced for so many times already in social media: How to Tell if Makeup is Expired plus decoding beauty product shelf life so we know when to toss or if we can still use a certain beauty product that we bought or have received.

I will try to cover a lot in this post from deciphering symbols on packaging and labels, discussions on PAO and Expiry Date, ways to determine manufacturing and expiry date if data is incomplete, and couple more related topics.

I hope this post will make you a more informed consumer so read on!

In order to accurately determine the shelf life of your beauty or whether it is expired or not, or if its ingredients are good for you or aligned with your lifestyle, you have to know how to decipher symbols on beauty labels and packaging.

So here is my blush compact from Ever Bilena. It has almost all of the common labels in cosmetics so let's use it as an example.

The symbols that you can find in this label are the following:

CRUELTY- FREE: represented by the rabbit logo. This means that the product is made by a facility that does not test on animals and product is not tested on animals.

PARABEN- FREE: represented by a leaf logo. This means that the product does not use Parabens as preservative in the product.

PAO: abbreviation for Period After Opening or the shelf life of your products from the time you open it. A product may have a total shelf life of 5 years, but once opened, shelf life decreases as you use the product because it gets exposed to the environment and other factors. The number on the open can symbol informs consumers to use up the product within the suggested time frame, which is written in numerical format on the open can symbol.

VEGAN- a symbol that informs users that there are no animal byproducts used in the formula. This is different from CRUELTY- FREE.

MFD: Manufacturing date or date and year when the product was manufactured or made.

BATCH NO.: Code of each product that bears the year of production and product identification code among other things; this one is dependent on the brand.

BUT WHAT DO YOU FOLLOW WHEN IT COMES TO DETERMINING THE EXPIRATION DATE OF A PRODUCT? PAO OR ED (EXPIRY DATE)?

Photo Credit: checkcosmetics.com

To answer this common question regarding product expiry, here's a helpful diagram from checkcosmetics.com. Basically, you have to look at PAO and Expiry Date. Each product has two states and that is unopened and opened. Rule of thumb is if it's UNOPENED, you follow SHELF LIFE. If it's OPENED, you follow PAO or PERIOD AFTER OPENING.

Here's an example of this diagram in symbols:

UNOPENED PRODUCT:

Manufacturing Date: Jan 2018

Expiry Date: Jan 2021

- The product can be used within three years if unopened.

OPENED PRODUCT:

Manufacturing Date: Jan 2018

Expiry Date: Jan 2021

Product opened: March 2019

PAO: 6 months

New Expiry Date: September 2019

- Once the product is opened, you can only use it within the PAO period and new expiry date is the end of the PAO period, not the shelf life Expiry Date.

I know, it can be a little confusing, but you'll eventually get it. :D

Personally, I don't follow PAO because I don't lend my products and I make sure that I store them properly. However, this is not good advice so don't emulate me! If you have sensitive skin and prone to breakouts and irritation, it's best to follow PAO once you have opened the product.

DO ALL PRODUCTS TELL YOU THEIR EXPIRY DATES?

I find that not all products are straightforward when it comes to determining their product's manufacturing date and expiry date while others communicate it differently.

I have here a few examples and the first one is Pond's Antibacterial Refreshing Face Wipes, which tells you right off its MFD and ED.

And here's another way of telling it. Hada Labo just mentions the Expiry Date on their Goku Jyun Hydrating Lotion; if you want to know the MFD (manufacturing date), just subtract 3- 5 years from the ED (expiry date).

P.S. Beauty products have a standard 3- 5 years shelf life, unopened.

Others just use the Batch Number like Kiehl's and their Creamy Eye Treatment. The batch code usually starts with the MD (manufacturing date). The Batch number says that this product was manufactured in 2018 so this will expire this year.

I think the most inaccurate basis for determining the expiry date among the three examples is the Batch Number; because each brand has their own way of writing batch numbers and it's not really common practice among brands to educate consumers on how they write batch numbers.

There you go! Simple numbers and symbols, but very empowering for a consumer once you take all of these to heart. 

I hope you have learned something today! Share the love and empower your fellow beauty junkies!

If you have additional questions about this article, don't hesitate to message me!