Food isn’t the only thing with an expiration date. Our cleaning products, bath and body items, cologne and perfumes, and skin care products all expire at some time or another. Water even has an expiry date once it’s bottled. Heck, if it sits in a stagnant puddle in the wild, it also expires.
The more ingredients are used in a recipe, whether meant to eat or exfoliate, the more complex it becomes to estimate an expiry date. With skincare products, there are various formats, formulas, active ingredients, preservatives, types of packaging, and processing used; there’s not an easy way to figure out whether an expired item is no longer effective or, most importantly, safe.
5 Factors In Skincare Product’s Longevity
Looking into the science shows us that the product type has the least influences on how slowly or quickly the contents might expire. Whether it's a serum, cream, or exfoliant doesn’t matter. Still, other things do, including time, temperature, physical stress, relative humidity, and various environmental parameters.
- Light
- Moisture
- Heat/Freezing
- Microorganism Contamination
- The Transmission of Gases
Those five things significantly impact any skin care product's longevity.
Do Some Skincare Ingredients Expire Sooner Than Others?
Any products containing natural or mostly natural ingredients tend to expire sooner than those filled with chemical preservatives or compounds. Natural oils and skin butter could oxidize, developing changes in the odor and appearance if it wasn’t formulated with an effective antioxidant.
However, oils and butter aren’t the only things to pay attention to. Most products, whether naturally-derived or synthetically created, contain preservatives to keep them fresher for longer. Even preservatives will lose their strength and effectiveness over time, so pay attention regardless.
How Do I Know If A Skincare Product Is Expired?
Sometimes skincare products don’t have a clearly stated expiration date. Honestly, it’s only required to have an expiry date stated when a batch code identifying the manufacturing date isn’t printed on the package. Food for thought. What’s more impactful on the expiration date is how soon we open the product after it’s been made.
Most skincare products are stability-tested to ensure they can last for 2 to 3 years on the shelves unopen. Slight and subtle changes in our product's texture, scent, and color are the first signs it may be expired. Any signs of separation or discoloration mean it’s time to throw it away.
Is It Safe To Use Expired Skincare Products?
Sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry. Generally speaking, it’s probably best to toss any products that are past the stated expiration date. Even though some products will remain effective past their expiry date, the natural processes will begin, ingredients break down over time, and chemicals can become altered.
People with sensitive skin can develop a rash from the chemical changes that occur when ingredients begin to break down.
Anything we put on or into our bodies should be checked before doing so. Does it look, smell, and feel right? If something is off, check the expiration date. More than that, trust your body to let you know if something isn’t right. Use your senses as protection and defense because there are external factors that can cause items to expire before the expiry date.
