Around one in four women consider the expiration dates on their makeup. The other women put their health at risk by using their cosmetics for several years past the sell by date, even if they start to smell or are discoloured. Gross!
Old products are a danger to our health, like food, they expire and it can be dangerous to carry on using them. Cosmetics accumulate bacteria, which will multiply and come in contact to your lips and skin.
The majority of women will forget when they purchased particular products and will use it well over the expiry date. This will result in the appearance of infections. Most sensitive are the eyes, followed by the lips.
When the chemicals inside the products expire they start to deteriorate. The result of this is very harmful to your skin. Women can use up to 20 beauty products a day, a combination of substances, with ones that are damaged and harmful to your health
If you are using makeup products day in and day out then your body can absorb over 2 kilograms of chemicals a year through the skin.
It can be quite a difficult thing to part with your favourite product. You just have to think that once this product was your best friend is now your skin’s mortal enemy.
My advice would be, don’t buy so many products if you are not using them everyday. You won’t have time to finish them before they become harmful. So every few months check your products, if they smell odd then it’s time to give them the boot.
Serious skin problems can occur, including allergic rashes, irritation and infections. Most common is the dreaded eye infection. So eye related products need to be maintained and thrown out when they’re supposed to be.
Some women may get little red bumps that look like acne. This is perioral dermatitis from using old and expired makeup. To preserve the shelf life on products, store your skincare and makeup products in a cool, dark room, also storing them in the fridge will help preserve allowing you to keep them for a longer period of time. Nearly all products are heat sensitive. Heat accelerates the degeneration process will reduce the shelf life.
Sharing lipsticks is another way you can cause health problems. Someone who has had a virus could leave you with that very same problem. People harbour viruses on their lips without having an active cold sore. They aren’t always visible.
- These following tips will help lessen the contamination:
- Basic hygiene.
- Instead of directly touching your make up by placing fingers in your products, use applicators.
- Don’t share products.
- Keep containers tightly closed.
- Throw out if colour changes or an odor develops.
To check out the expiration dates of skincare and makeup products then have a look at our cosmetic expiration dates infographic. Beauty is timeless – makeup products are not.
Feature image credit: Vanessa Penagos-Pino via Flickr.
