When to Throw Away: The Expiry Date of Your Favorite Skin Care Products

Collecting - read: never, never throw away - cosmetics is a common practice among women. Whether out of boredom with a certain product, or the excitement of buying something new to try, or the idea of ​​"I might use this one day," some of us women are guilty of the accusation - difficult to part with the product. But the thought of you ever being able to use it could be potentially harmful to your skin. We sat down with Dr. Michael Kaminer, a board-certified dermatologist and Skincare.com expert, to find out how long you can hold onto your skin care products before it's time to shed that beauty baggage. 

Rule of thumb

Generally, skincare products have a shelf life of six months to one year - note the expiration date on the packaging and use a permanent marker to mark it on the bottom of the container if it's only on the box so you don't forget! Also note the storage instructions.if you take a super hot shower, you can store your skin care products in the linen closet outside the bathroom to avoid exposing your products to high temperatures.

Don't Quit Unnecessarily

But before you go ahead and prematurely discard your products to make room for new ones, know this: The only reason you need to replace a product is when it has gone bad. “It's actually the only reason,” says Kaminer. "If the product visually looks fine and hasn't expired yet, then there's no reason to throw it away."

Keep things clean

The fastest way to compromise your favorite skin care products before they expire? Immersion in the container with dirty fingers. Our hands come into contact with bacteria and germs that can get into our skin care products. Kaminer explains that as long as your hands are clean, you should be fine, but you can use a small spoon or other tool, such as a clean cotton swab, to remove the product. While this may not extend the shelf life of your products, it is simply a good idea to always wash your hands before starting your skin care routine.

Attention: If the product has expired, it's time to throw it in the trash to a new home. While often expired products are simply not effective, sometimes they can cause irritation or breakouts.