When to Toss Your Beauty Products

A lot of people refresh their living or work space in the spring, but I think spring is actually the perfect time to do it all, including giving your beauty stash an overhaul! You don’t have any major holidays to distract you from doing a thorough clean-out, and with the weather warming-up, you’re planning getaways and short weekend trips you’ll definitely be taking your products on, so why not use that time to see what you should keep and toss?

When I tackle spring cleaning, the first thing I like to focus on is my beauty bag. Because we use makeup products everyday, it’s easy to forget that they may have passed their expiration dates. Especially with more expensive makeup, t’s tempting to ignore the little label that says “6M” or “12M” (with M standing for months the product is good after you open it), but it’s important to pay attention for two reasons: The product may not be effective anymore and it may actually have bacteria breeding in it that can cause stys, breakouts, and other things you don’t want anywhere near your face!

To make sure you’re on top of your product expirations, mark the containers with the dates you opened them and schedule some time every few months to do a quick scan to make sure everything in your collection is current. Here’s a chart of some important expiration dates, so you have them handy:

Common Makeup Product Expiration Dates

Mascara / After 3 months

Liquid and gel eye liner / After 3 months

Cream, liquid, and stick foundations and concealers / After 6 months

Oil-free foundation / After 1 year

Cream eye shadows and blushes / After 12 to 18 months

Pencil eye liner / After 2 years

Powder blush, bronzer, and eye shadow / After 2 to 3 years

Lipstick, gloss, and lip pencils / After 2 to 3 years

Some other things you can do between your beauty bag check-ins, to make them more efficient + help your products last longer:

Avoid using your fingers to apply products, because any bacteria on your hands will go directly into the product and can potentially turn into something dangerous for your eyes or skin. Instead, use regularly cleaned makeup brushes (or mini spatulas, if you have cream products).   • Skip the eye makeup or lip products if you’re sick, have an eye infection, or a cold sore. The bacteria your brushes pick-up during application goes right back into the product and can cause another flare-up of whatever ailment you were battling.

Smell your products when you buy them so you have a basis of comparison for figuring out if they’ve gone bad. For example, mascara develops a chemical smell when it’s degrading or contaminated.

Double check the expiration dates on natural makeup products, as the ingredients they contain may degrade more quickly due to not containing preservatives. If you don’t see an expiration date on the label, do a quick Google search or even reach out to the brand directly to find out if it’s still in the safe-to-use zone.

Sephora Spring Beauty Event

Sephora's spring sale starts today through Sunday 4/22, which means *almost everything* in the store and online is 10-15% off! If you aren’t a Sephora Beauty Insider Member yet, be sure and register for access to discounts on products and tons of other perks.

My daily makeup + skincare product faves (NOW ON SALE) are above!