With lockdown extended it is a good time to go through your makeup bags and skincare supplies. Most of your beauty products will eventually expire, how soon depends on factors such as preservatives, ingredients, where you store and packaging. Natural beauty products expire far quicker than other products due to the lack of preservatives. You can check the expiry date by looking for either the pot logo with how many months until it expires on it, or look for the exact month and year printed on the packaging (it looks similar to the one you would find on grocery products).

No date? Here is a quick guide.

Some of these may surprise you

2 years after opening

• All powder products

12 months after opening

• Lipstick

• Lip gloss

• Perfumes

6 months after opening

• Moisturisers

• Foundation

• Oils

• Serums

• Sunscreen

3 months after opening

• Mascara

• Liquid eyeliner

If you’re still unsure, toss any unopened products after three years and any opened products after six months.

Colour, consistency and smell

You can also test your products to see if they’re expired by looking for the three major giveaways: Colour, consistency and smell. The first thing to look for is changes in the colour of the product

Check for changes in its consistency. You should be able to notice that the formula has started to separate or gone lumpy. These signs are not good. Lastly, is smell. A quick whiff of an expired product is a dead giveaway as it will smell toxic or rancid.

Need to restock your supplies?

Book an online skin consultation or order online for contactless delivery 🚚

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