When Does Makeup Expire?

Posted by Alexandra C. | Thursday January 17, 2013

I've mentioned this before but I am notorious for keeping every single piece of makeup for about a million years. No matter how cheap it was, no matter how well it worked and no matter how broken it is now. I'm what you'd call a beauty hoarder. A boarder, if you will.

Because of this affliction, I've massed a huge collection of half used products and many of these have actually been collected from other people (although I draw the line at mascara). It has recently come to my attention that this might not be the best thing in the world. Did you know that makeup has expiration dates.

So, how long can you keep your coveted beauty products? Well, we've created a handy dandy guide with approximate dates for the shelf life of your products!

Pro Tip: A good rule of thumb to follow is that if it smells bad, it probably is. You'll notice especially with lipsticks that they get a strong, somewhat chemical smell.

Do you keep track of your makeup expiry dates or toss old products out on a regular basis?

(via mollysims.com, beauty.about.com, marieclaire.com)

More by Alexandra C.
More on Eyes, Lips, Face

Pin It

Hair How-To: Jennifer Lawrence's...

We Love Fridays: The SodaStream

14 Comments

	on January 26, 2013 lindsaycyr 3,084 said: Wow, thanks for sharing this. I am horrible at keeping makeup well past the expiry dates, I still have lipstick, eye liner and lip liner that I used in my wedding...in 2008..Yikes!
	on January 25, 2013 Racenhawk 2,704 said: I don't follow those guidelines, but it's good to know
	on January 22, 2013 cameesan 946 said: Thank you for the Alex, but when you clean your brushes; clean your face before using the makeup, and do not let anyone use it. They last longer just always remember to have a little TLC to your things once in awhile. :)
	on January 20, 2013 bluejay92 2,719 said: i keep my makeup for so long i forget to throw my mascaras out . they do have a bad smell . great article .
	on January 18, 2013 shanaz 5,961 said: The mascara and eye products are the only ones that truly concern me, as I have been prone to eye irritations in the past... Goodbye Diorshow!
	on January 17, 2013 LissaG 6,010 said: I'm definitely also a "boarder"....i've had a bin of old makeup under my sink for years now. This article has sparked my motivation to go home and promptly throw it out. It's time. RIP old friends.
	on January 17, 2013 fredamans 12,209 said: I am a makeup hoarder too.... I know I still have stuff from the 90's!!
	on January 17, 2013 Bren 26,031 said: I like to use this Cosmetic Calculator often....Just put in the brand and the products batch code and it tell you how old that product is. http://checkcosmetic.net/
	on January 17, 2013 Becky 13,128 said: I'll be honest with you, I really don't keep track of when I open my makeup or when it expires. I keep it and use it until it smells bad or separates or looks bad. My skin doesn't react to older makeup either sooooo I'm assuming this technique is working for me? Let's hope it stays that way!
	on January 17, 2013 AlexJC 50 said: I'm really bad at following these guidelines but I will try and toss out old mascaras just because I don't want to risk an eye infection!