Guidelines help keep your cosmetics' shelf life, keep them lasting long | Cosmetics & Makeup

You are here: Home

Guidelines help keep your cosmetics' shelf life, keep them lasting long

[From Lansing State Journal] Is that foundation you bought last spring still safe to wear? What about the lipstick you found in an old purse? We tell you what to use and what to lose. We consulted some experts to find out if and when cosmetics and other personal-care products really should make their way to the wastebasket. Yes, the experts said, they do need to be tossed. But not always as quickly as the cosmetics counter would like you to believe.

Here's a roundup of their best advice. These guidelines, they cautioned, apply only to products that have been stability tested (any reputable mass-market brand) and have preservatives added. Organics and personal-care products without preservatives, they said, degrade much more quickly.

MASCARA

?How long to keep it: Three to six months

?Expert says: Your eyes are a haven for bacteria because they're wet and warm, explains Justin Klabin, who designs and manufactures personal-care products. "When you apply the mascara to your eyes and put it back in the container, you're contaminating it a little every day," he said.

EYE CREAM

?Keep it: Six months to a year

?Expert says: Anything that goes near your eye needs to be watched carefully, said Jan Marini, president of Jan Marini Skin Research, based in San Jose, Calif. If the cream gets runny or changes consistency or smell in other ways before six months, throw it away.

LIQUID FOUNDATION

?Keep it: One year

?Expert says: If the foundation starts to smell fatty or the color or fragrance otherwise changes, toss it, said Damiana Zullo, director of product and packaging development for Bliss.

CREAM BLUSH

?Keep it: One year

?Expert says: The same guidelines apply for cream blush as for liquid foundation.

MOISTURIZER

?Keep it: One year

?Expert says: Look for changes in color, consistency or smell.

POWDER (foundation, eye shadow, blush, etc.)

?Keep it: Up to three years

?Expert says: "Powders have a long, long life," Marini said. "Most powders don't have water, so there are few microbials that will grow."

EYE AND LIP LINER

?Keep it: Indefinitely

?Expert says: As long as you sharpen before use, you're getting rid of impurities, Marini said.

LIPSTICK

?Keep it: Two years or longer

?Expert says: "It's so apparent as soon as you take the top off and put it under your nose," Zullo said. "If there's a strong, waxy smell, get rid of it."

Other ways to keep products clean and safe

?Never add water to cosmetics. This makes a more welcoming environment for microbes and bacteria.

?If a product comes with an applicator wand or pad, make sure you sanitize it before each use. Otherwise, you're shoveling in germs as you shovel out the product.

?Clean makeup brushes regularly with warm water and mild soap.

?Wash your hands before touching cosmetics.

?If a product changes in consistency, radically changes color or smells musty, moldy or even differently, get rid of it. All are signs of bacterial growth.

?Don't share makeup.

?Keep lids on when products aren't in use. The more air gets in, the more likely bacteria are to grow.

?Try to keep makeup and skin-care products out of warm, humid areas. If you store them in the bathroom, at least put them in a drawer.

- Sources: Jan Marini, president of Jan Marini Skin Research; Damiana Zullo, director of product and packaging development for Bliss; Justin Klabin, personal-care-product designer and manufacturer

Tags: Add more tags...,
or Close

Bookmarker