Even Good Cosmetics Can Go Bad

As? much fun as it is to ?collect? makeup and skincare products, there is a pretty serious downside to having so many products.? Every type of makeup has an expiration date.? I don’t care if it is a very expensive, all natural, paraben-free product or an inexpensive, chemically-based product that is loaded with parabens and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. ?The product will eventually go bad, meaning it will start to break down on its own; and will very quickly become the residence of microscopic squatters also known as bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Sure they do.? The whole purpose of adding preservatives (any preservatives, regardless of their safety) is to inhibit oxidation and prevent chemical changes that happen to a product due to exposure to air, moisture, contamination fromuse, or just time itself; which then causes the product to become desirable to microorganisms.?

The thing is that most products are mass produced in huge quantities, and could sit in warehouses and stock rooms for months or even years before they even hit the shelves of retail stores.? Often, expiration dates are printed or stamped onto the product?s tube or container; however this is not yet required by the FDA, so not every product will show an expiration date.? It is important to understand that these expiration dates only apply to unopened products. Once the product is opened, it quickly starts to deteriorate.

Liquid or cream products like moisturizers, serums, cleansers, foundations, cream blushes or eyeshadows, eyeliners, lipsticks and glosses, and mascaras spoil much sooner than dry powder products like mineral foundations, pressed powder, and powdered eyeshadows and blushes.? The reason is because microorganisms can survive better in moist environments.

Some liquid products spoil even faster, like liquid eyeliners, mascaras and lip glosses that have wands that are constantly contaminated by direct application to the eyes or lips, and then are put right back into their containers.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (via ThirdAge.com), dry products like powders and eye shadows should be discarded after two years.? Cream or liquid products like eyeliner, lip liner, lipstick, concealer, and foundations should be replaced after one year. Mascara has the shortest shelf life of all makeup and should be replaced every one to three months.

Using expired or spoiled makeup or skin care products can cause quite a few problems.? It can cause bacterial infections of the skin like acne, contagious viral infections like herpes simplex 2 (cold sores) and impetigo, viral or bacterial conjunctivitis (pink eye), and irritant reactions like dermatitis or eczema.? If the contaminant enters the skin through a weakened area of its barrier due to dry or dehydrated skin, acne lesions, or even small nicks or scratches, more serious infections like staph can occur either locally in the form of a cyst or boil, or systemically like MRSA.? And that’s just to name a few. Yuck.

If you are someone like me who loves to collect different cosmetics, make sure you are actually using them regularly so you get your money?s worth.? I use my makeup very frequently, but I always go through every couple of months to check the products to make sure they are still good.? According to the website ThirdAge.com you will know your makeup is has expired if it has an irregular (and often unpleasant) odor to it; if the product’s consistency thickens, settles, curdles or separates; or the color has changed altogether.

If you are a person who does not wear makeup often, but you still have a small stash for use on special occasions, you need to check them as well.? Even if you don’t use a product often, it will still expire and become contaminated.