Expiry Dates of Cosmetics

We often get asked about how long products will last for, when they expire, or what exactly the numbers and letters on their products mean.

Currently Health Canada does not require that expiry dates be put on the cosmetic label. Most professional products will have some sort of marker on them though.

Here are a couple of things you can look for:

Open Jar or Period-After opening Symbol: This is becoming more and more common as it’s the standard in Europe. This indicates how many months the product can be safely used for after opening. This is based on the assumption that people are making practical decisions in storage and hygiene: product is kept tightly closed, away from light and heat, and hands are washed before it’s used.

20091231: Year/Month/Day, or something to this extent. It’s pretty straight forward in that it’s a date somewhere in the near future.

Codes: These will usually be a combination of letters and numbers that almost look like dates.  They are usually individual to that particular line and are difficult to decipher on your own. It’s best to contact the company. The letters can represent months (A=January, B=February etc.) and the numbers may represent years (1=2000, 2=2001 etc) but it can vary. If you are purchasing from an authorized dealer it is highly unlikely that the product is expired or close to. But it doesn’t hurt to check.

The expiry dates refer to when the product will stop being as effective, but if there’s a color, smell or texture change before that date, it’s probably best to discontinue use. Sticking unclean hands into containers or leaving them open will expose them to bacteria and humidity. That can cause them to go bad faster and they could  irritate your skin.

Basic guideline:

These time frames differ depending on the expert, product ingredients, or specific line. But it’s always best to use common sense and always ask your sales rep or the in-store Esthetician.

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Tags: cosmetic, cosmetic concerns, cosmetic labelling, exiry dates, expired makeup

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