Throw it Out! Expiration Dates of Beauty Products

Make-up and skin care junkie? It may be time to go through your products and toss any products that are past their shelf life. Keeping products longer than recommended results in a bacteria breeding ground that can cause skin irritation and loss of product effectiveness. Check below for the recommended throw-away dates of many make up and skin care products. Of course, if you see any separation in your creams, foundations or nailpolish, smell any type of unusual odor, or experience any type of skin irritation that is not a known side effect (example: mild skin redness with Retinol) throw the product away immediately. It is also NOT a good idea to purchase make-up or skin care products from Ebay unless you check with the seller to make sure that they are not expired (they may still not be honest about it). Also, discount clubs may also sell expired products. It is always best to purchase make up and skin care from reputable sellers that check and change their product stock regularly.

1. Sunscreen- Throw sunscreen away after 3 years, or after the expiration date on the bottle.

2. Skin Cream- Discard old skin cream after 1 year if it is in a jar, one year if it is in a pump, or follow the expiration date on bottle.

3. Foundation- Water based foundation should be thrown out after 1 year, oil based foundation should be discarded after 18 months.

4. Powder- Throw away old powder after 3 years.

5. Blush- Discard any old or unused blush after 3 years.

6. Lipstick- Toss all lipstick after 1 year.

7. Mascara- This rule is very important, trash all mascara that is older than 3 months.

8. Sponges- Wash your sponges weekly, and discard when necessary.

9.  Concealer- Throw concealer out after it is 1 year old.

10. Cleanser- Toss all unused cleanser after 1 year.

11. Nailpolish- Discard old nailpolish after 1 year, or when product separation occurs.

12. Brushes- Wash all make-up brushes every 1-2 months or weekly if you have any skin irritation or acne. Use a mild anti-bacterial soap.

13. Clarisonic Brush Heads- Clarisonic brush heads should be replaced every 2-3 months.

14. Self Tanner- Most self tanners expire after 6 months. Many also have the expiration date listed on the bottle, so pay attention to that date as well.

Cleaning out your make-up drawer and washing your brushes and sponges is not only good for your skin, it is good for your well being. Do a little spring-cleaning for your beauty routine and throw out those expired products, and make sure every tool and product that touches your skin is in tip-top condition!