There’s nothing wrong with wanting to use every last drop of your make-up, but did you know that using expired make-up can cause health issues? A dermatologist has shared the risks involved
While some things last forever, make-up doesn’t. No matter how long we hold on to our favourite expensive highlighter and shade of lipstick, the truth is that make-up does expire. As sad as it might sound, it’s something that everyone should be aware of, as it can affect our skin health.
Any person who owns a lot of beauty products will relate to this one. There comes a point when we look at our make-up collection and ask: “Is this still okay to use?” There will be tell-tale signs to finally to throw away your beloved make-up product. It could become smelly or the consistency might drastically change. It’s time to let go of the emotional attachment to your favourite blush or lipstick shade that you’ve been saving for a special occasion. Most of the time, we keep these products because we haven’t finished them, and while it might seem okay to use, I’d suggest you stop using them.
Can you use expired make-up?
Dr Sweta Rai, a Doctify rated dermatologist said: “Expired beauty products have the risk of often being less efficacious. Some creams can have their active ingredients broken down and interact with other actives which are broken down producing an irritant effect on the skin.”
Dr Sweta Rai revealed some of the chemicals in make-up, if they go off, can become harmful for skin: “Most chemical compounds lose their strength / bioavailability if they are past their best before date and they are not ‘dangerous’ per se however some chemicals are degradation products of the active agent and these can be harmful,” Dr Rai added.
Once a product has been opened, over time it becomes less effective as the chemicals begin to degrade. This happens because it has been exposed to moisture or heat, damaging the product.
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How a product is stored can really make a difference to its longevity, especially for those containing Vitamin C. Dr Sweta Rai added: “The advice is to keep beauty products in a cool, dry area of your home as moisture and heat can cause bacterial growth and deactivation of the strength of the product or formation harmful by products when many actives are mixed together respectively.”
Makeup products should generally be used within two to 12 months of opening. To know how long a product remains safe to use, many products have a ‘Period After Opening’ (PAO) symbol, which looks like an open jar. Using make-up products beyond the recommended shelf life may result in decreased effectiveness due to the changes in the chemicals, which is why it’s important to stop using them once it has expired.
How to recycle unused beauty products
Interestingly, research has revealed that 80% of Brits hoard empty or ‘almost-empty’ beauty products. In addition to these staggering results, 48% aren’t sure how to recycle them, and 40% say that more information would encourage them to recycle their empty beauty products.
In response, Boots has introduced a new campaign called ‘Finish the Forgotten’, which aims to educate the nation on what products can be recycled. As part of this initiative, the high-street chain is raising awareness on which products that the store can accept for recycling through the Recycle at Boots scheme. Products that can be recycled through this scheme ranges from mascara to toothbrushes and many others.
Those who have at least five empty products at home can bring their empties into the store. In return, Boots will give members up to £5 (500 Boots Advantage Card points) when £10 is spent in-store. Recycle at Boots is available in 800 stores nationwide, and accepts hundreds of products that customers might think can’t be recycled.
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Candice Smith, Head of Environmental Social Governance at Boots, said: “Many of us are guilty of holding on to products in the bathroom unnecessarily – either it’s the last bit of product that you can’t bear to throw out, you have an empty bottle you keep forgetting to put into the kitchen recycling bin, or you are holding on to items you don’t think you can recycle.”
This is a sign for make-up lovers to start decluttering their old eye-shadow palettes and that mascara that’s been lingering in your handbag for far too long. It might even give you an excuse to go shopping to treat yourself to fresh, new products.
