A few weeks ago I saw a YouTube video on the expiration of make up products and it really interested me. Mainly due to the fact I have hundreds of products, some of which I am sure are well past their use by dates yet I can't bring myself to throw them away. So I thought I would do a little research on this topic.
As we all know one of the most common beauty advise is to change your mascara every 3 months right? Now I don't know if you are like me however I am constantly chopping and changing my mascara so after 3 months I have several and they are nowhere near finished. Do I throw them away? Of course I don't! All make up products (well a majority) have their own life span indicated by the companies. This is indicated via a symbol similar to that indicated below.
If you take a look at your products near the information label, usually where all the ingredients are listed you should see this symbol. Inside will have either, 6M, 12M, 24M and so forth. This indicates the life span of the product.
When I looked into this a little further a majority of my mascaras actually had a lifespan of 12 months. Of course for hygiene reasons I am sure that changing your mascara every 3 months is ideal however when one is spending maybe 10 or 20 pounds on one it seems harsh to just throw it away. Of course if you are using the one mascara every day then the chances are you will have used it all in the 3 months anyway however it is worth bearing this in mind if you are like I and enjoy testing different mascaras and products every month.
What I would reccomend is labelling mascara's in particular with the date you purchased and then noting the date it expires. If it does not have the above open jar symbol (which means from the date you open it) then I would not risk using after the 3-4 month rule (although I am as guilty as the next girl for doing so). All of my Rimmel London mascaras state 12 months although some other cheaper brands claim 6 months so it is worth checking your products and keeping an eye on the dates to avoid harming your skin.
I hope that you found this interesting, please comment below as I will always respond - and don't forget to make my day and subscribe :)
Please note that I do not claim to be an expert in this field. These are my own thoughts and opinions and based on what I have read via external sources. My advise is not to be taken in place of a professional and should you be in doubt then please contact a specialist in this field.
