Out of Date Make-up Risks

Your favourite beauty essentials – including your foundation, concealer, blusher, perfume, lipstick, mascara and eye pencils – used after their expiry date all carry a risk of irritation and infection because of contamination by air and bacteria. According to a new research, cosmetics used by women could be out of date by as much as four years, and recent research has shown that using these out of date cosmetics could be risky for your heath.

 Despite EU guidelines meaning brands have to state the products shelf life, nine-in ten women are unaware that a shelf life for their make-up even exists. According to the results of the study, about 89 percent of women remain unaware of the shelf-life of products they use or do not understand what the symbols mean!

A recent survey of 1,000 women aged 18 to 70 showed:

Almost seven in ten women only replace make-up and skincare when they run out - however long that might take.

Nearly three-quarters of women never wash their make up sponges or brushes - even though this should be done at least once a week!

Six in 10 women admitted they shared make-up with friends and family - multiplying the chances of infection.

And at least once a week a shocking 81% of women go to sleep without removing their make up!

Sara Stern, the Director of Cosmetics who carried out the study, said: "We wouldn't hesitate to chuck out mouldy or bacteria-ridden food and the same standards should apply to the lotions and potions and that we put on our skin. Beauty is timeless but unfortunately, products are not."

Bevis Man, a representative for the British Skin Foundation, said: "It's not always obvious when make-up has passed its prime so it may not occur to people to replace their products. Cost is probably a major factor in why people do not replace out-of-date cosmetics. However, products can dry out and become less effective as they age.

"Your eyes are one area of your face you need to be particularly careful with, as eye infections can be painful and long-lasting.” He continued to highlight that “make-up sponges are a particular haven for bacteria, especially if they are kept for a long period of time and are not washed. Again, it is best to keep them clean and replace them after a few months' use." Bevis Man concluded that “It is best to err on the side of caution and if a product looks or smells strange it is worth throwing it away.”

The authors of the survey also revealed that some people keep eye shadow products for up to 15 years, which is more than 10 times longer than they should be kept! A spokeswoman explained that "Because you may not use it very often and it takes a long time to use up women, have it lying around in their bags for an incredible length of time - quite disgusting really.”

“Ignorance is a factor which is why we want to make the safety messages on packages much clearer. Expense is another issue so it could be an idea for manufacturers to make things like lipsticks smaller so women are more likely to finish with them before the 'use by' date expires. Women don't like throwing things away without getting their money's worth but you have to remember it is probably no longer doing its job properly - and could well give you a nasty infection."

So why not have a clear out of your make-up and cosmetics? You’ll probably find a few things well over their use by date and don’t forget to give your brushes and sponges a good wash too!  Check out our page on what our product symbols mean if you’re confused about the life-span of your cosmetics.