Posts Tagged ‘cosmetic concerns’

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:

• Skin Care: 1-2 years depending on the products. If you are using the products properly, most should last you no longer than 8 months.
• Natural/Organic products: lack of preservatives means these last the least amount of time and are most prone to bacteria growth. 6 months tops and try to keep hands and water completely out of them
• Mascara: wet and near the eyeballs. 3 months. Do not compromise on this one. Replace every three months or earlier if you start to experience any eye irritation. Don’t share! Be greedy and territorial. I am terrible and do not follow this rule, despite my “no compromise” comment.
• Liquid Eyeliner: 3-6 months. Similar to mascara but these are less likely to touch the actual eye.
• Liquid Concealers and Foundations: 6-12 months. These can oxidize when exposed to air. The same reason your foundation may look different at the end of the day. Keep those lids tight!
• Cream shadows and blushes: 6- 12 months again. These usually involve more finger proddings and blendings. Make sure your hands are clean, or apply with a clean makeup brush.
• Lipstick: 12 months. Heat and moisture have a big effect on these.
• Powders (foundation, blush and eye shadow): 1-2 years. If kept dry and clean these are your longest lasting products. Mineral makeups have a good long shelf life as they are made of rocks/minerals and can’t really harbor bacteria. However if they have additional ingredients like anti-oxidants or anything anti-inflammatory they do become less effective over time.
• Eye and lip pencils: 2 years

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.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Cosmetic Ingredients Spa Boutique Clients are Most Concerned About

Continuing in the vein of our natural/organic survey results, we compiled a  list of ingredients people would like to avoid.

I tend to focus more on the few ingredients I know work, and have never been much of an avoider. Everytime a new concern becomes public, I review my trusted information sources and decide whether I’ll feel good about using it. Sometimes it’s yes, sometimes no. But I LOVE products and am prone to the fatal flaw of intense curiosity. Those two philosophies don’t mesh well.

That being said, I completely understand where people are coming from when it comes to ingredients of concern. If you are choosing to make more sustainable decisions in every aspect of your life, it  makes senses to asses what it is you are putting on your body as well as in it.

I was impressed by the list of Ingredients of Concern the survey generated. We have some superbly aware clients. I had never even heard of some of the ingredients and I spend a lot of time researching stuff. You guys make me smarter.

I thought I’d list the ones most frequently mentioned, as we’re going to try and use the list to determine what people are looking for when they want “natural” products. Since there’s no official despcription of what that means, we thought we’d let you define it. We’ll do our best to find products that fit within it but still give results.

Here are the ones that came up the most:

• Parabens
• Sulphates (including sodium lauryls and laureths)
• Pthalates
• Mineral Oil
• Propylene Glycol
• Tetrasodium DTA
• Talc
• Urea
• Fragrance/Parfum
• PEG

While many of the classic skincare lines we carry still contain some of theses ingredients, and we do stand behind them, we understand the demand for alternatives.

At Spa Boutique we carry many different natural and organic lines like Eminence Organics, Dr.Hauschka, Glo Minerals, GM Collin Bio Organique, Antipodes Natural & Organic Skincare,  Baborganic, Beauty Through Balance by Ancient Secrets, Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup, John Masters Organics, Jurlique Natural Beauty Care, Luzern Laboratories, Moor Spa Beauty Care, Onesta Hair Care, Phyto Hair Care, Seaflora Skincare, Simply Organic Hair & Body Care, Spa Binge Organics, Youngblood Mineral Makeup…

We want to thank everyone again for giving us such great information.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!