Keep the unopened, toss the opened would be my thinking. I worry about germs, noy the product degrading.

I desperately need new make up, but dread choosing new things.

Perfect timing. An hour ago I looked for an expiration date on my mascara. Didn't find one.

The only expiration date I've found on a cosmetic, although I rarely look for them, is on BB Cream. After having it for a year, it was still good, and then I read it needs shaking before using. I never knew that. :)

I agree with Zalco, it is the germs I am more concerned with. My foundation/concealer comes in small containers, so is replaced fairly often. I am kind of glad for the small containers. That, mascara and eye pencil I wear almost daily, so it's not something that goes past the expiration date. Blush and powder last me a long time, so I need to pay more attention to how long I keep them.

I'm not sure I agree. I have yet throw out make up. I don't use foundation but. I do use cream correcter and concealer under my eyes.

Mascara might dry out so of course that gets tossed.

I don't know anyone who can attribute an illness due to make up.

Honestly, what would the germs we are talking about do? I am open to being enlightened.

The same goes for shampoo. I use relatively expensive shampoo and I'm not tossing after a year if it's not finished. I no longer wadh my hair everyday and I apply very little when I use it.

eld, I guess it’s more bacteria, especially for mascara.

oakley, the BB shaking is actually how this came to my mind. I was putting some one yesterday and it came out as liquid! I shook it, and it was fine. I know I haven’t used that tube in over 2 years, and it is probably at least 3 years old.

Not worried about illness, but yes bacteria is probably a better word. i would think it could cause skin irritation, etc and yes i have heard of eye infection due to makeup.

Dang, looking for an excuse to empty the drawer. I don’t usually wear mascara so the current one in the drawer is still in its package.

You can bring some product back to life by immersing the tightly closed tube or bottle in hot water. Anything that remains caked after that is beyond help. In a pinch I have used eyelash serum to rejuvenate mascara. I don’t ’t buy cosmetics often and mascara is the first thing that dries out, so i have used this trick a few times. I’m not at all worried about bacteria. I wash sponges and brushes regularly.

I am no expert, but I haven't really worried about it. I wear mascara daily so I go through that at a decent pace. But I do tend to have other makeup like eyeshadow or liner that I almost never use that I tend to hang onto for quite some time. I do think sometimes the consistency of the products degrade over time.

Ugh. Why did I decide to google this? Sounds like the beauty blender sponges can be particularly bad. (I don't use one.)

But the filthiest makeup products, according to Amreen Bashir, who led the study, are beauty blenders – sponges used to blend foundation and contour skin, which have grown in popularity in recent years.

Most of us probably wouldn't have a problem, but if you are immunocompromised, you could have serious issues. Staph, e-coli, etc. were found in various studies (I skimmed through several articles).

I do routinely wash my make-up brushes so don't really worry about this, but I'll admit I had not given it a great deal of thought either.

bacteria in makeup

I don't use foundation but. I do use cream correcter

What is "cream correcter?"

I think the most common thing is eye infections, which you don't want to mess with. But other than that, honestly I think if the product still functions, and does not irritate, I'd use it.

I've found products that have been open for a while seem to dry out. When that's the case I replace them. I had some eyelid sensitivity that I thought was related to a long unused tube of mascara that I started using after the Covid shutdown. I threw it out and bought new but no change. So now I rarely wear mascara or any eye makeup ("special" occasions only when I want to look better than usual) and I quit foundation during Covid. I just use the chubby blush stick from Clinique, some powder to take off any shine and sometimes a powder blush from Clinique.

I don't worry about expiration dates and usually you cannot find them on the product anyway. Mascara never lasts more than 3 months for me anyway, it begins to dry out and gets tossed. If a liquid product smells or looks separated or weird in some way, it gets tossed out. I have eye shadows that I have had for well over 10 years. I also stock up on things that I love that I find out they are going to be discontinued if I think it's something that will last, powder items for instance.

I was actually looking for an expiration date on some mascara that I bought at ULTA that seemed to be quite dry when it was first opened. I wanted to see if it was OLD but I could not find any expiration date on the package or the container.

I consider how dry the product is. Dry is not prone to bacteria like powdered shadows and blushes and mineral makeup. I figure my powdered eyebrow stuff will last me forever. But things like tinted moisturizers and mascaras are as they contain moisture. Also consider how wet the product gets when using it like perhaps an eyeliner or a lipstick.

im in the same boat, having not worn a lot of makeup since 2020. i use the followong and same rule for skincare (creams etc). most items have a date printed on it called the POA symbol. the clock starts once you open the product. for mascara and other products used around the eyes (eye cream etc) i have a limit of 6 months. i just dont want to risk an eye infection etc. for cream- and liquid- based products (foundations and lotions) i go 18 to 24 months. many oil based products will smell off, such as lipsticks. for powders and eyeshadows they can go much longer and i keep them until i use them up or no longer want them and then i throw them away - i dont donate them or resell them.

Mtn, it's this:

I am very careful with mascaras and eyeliners/eye pencils-- I have always been but became vigilant after I had 2 eye surgeries and learned how vulnerable our eyes are to bacteria. I have never worn mascara regularly (leaky and sensitive eyes) but I do use eye pencils and liquid liners.

I have blush that is probably 10 yr old.. with the exception of one where the color turned, all seem to be fine. Liquid foundation is well protected and since I wear the same stuff almost all the time, they never last more than a year once opened. Same with lip gloss/lipsticks. They just don't last long enough for me to be concerned.

Where I have issues is with skincare products-- I noticed my neutrogena rainbath body oil turned-- the scent makes it obvious. I also noticed a color change in one of my moisturizers. I don't track how long I've had them but I toss them at the first sign that something is "off".

It helps that I basically stay with the same products through the years-- I will try new stuff but as the thread detailing in excruciating detail my hunt for my holy grail foundation shows, I am loyal (resistant to change?) to my favorite brands and products!

I had an eye infection once that may have been mascara related. The ophthalmologist told me to toss my mascara. I don’t know if I got the infection from the mascara or if he were trying to prevent a reinfection caused by contaminated mascara.

FWIW, I have read that mascara should be tossed after 3 months.

There are soooo many RULES!!! Rules that frankly I've never seen reason in my experience that validates them. Germs on makeup? Whose germs? Oh ya MINE!! I don't share my make up and I don't keep it in a bathroom--ewwwww.

I think the caution about blender sponges in particular is rational, after all, on collects skin cells and bacteria as one smooshes the sponge on ones face, and these sponges are not disposable, they are used time after time, so after the bacteria multiply on the sponge it is used again to push makeup on the face. One might think that washing them would increase safety, but it may do the opposite if not done carefully, providing needed moisture to the bacteria.

Eye makeup too seems a pathway to infection especially mascara and liquid eyeliner.

And please don't ever lick your pencils to soften them!!!

And another gal I know would use a *needle* to separate her lashes if the mascara made them clumpy!

I wash my blender sponges in a lingerie bag with the towels. They come out looking new.

A 2019 study out of the United Kingdom — which examined used lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras and popular makeup sponges known as beauty blenders — found that between about 79 percent and 90 percent of the products tested were contaminated with bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. Beauty blenders, which are often used damp, had the highest bacterial load, according to the study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/03/08/clean-makeup-brushes-bacteria/

Bookwoman, I wonder if part of the problem with the blenders (i hate those things LOL), is that they do not dry out completely?

Yes, I think so. I don't like them either, and prefer to use my fingers, which are very washable!

Good timing! I'm about to replace some of my items. I don't wear a lot of make-up, but I'm in need of some fresh stuff.

My SIL had an eye infection a long time ago, so I started getting into the habit of replacing mascara and eye liner twice a year during daylight savings. So, I replace smoke detector batteries, switch air filters, replace eye make-up, etc. when I change the clocks in spring and fall. Facial make-up just gets replaced when it appears to need to be.

I do wash my make-up brushes more frequently.