Our society has become completely germ phobic. Every product on the market has some kind of super ingredient that supposedly protects us from tiny little microorganisms that will make us sick or cause infection. Did you know that almost 80% of all liquid soaps on the market are anti-bacterial? So, when people would talk to me about how important it is to throw out my old cosmetics, I have to admit I would nod in agreement and then roll my eyes once their backs were turned. I was one of those people who believed it was our society’s bacterial obsession at play as well as being a big scam by the cosmetics companies to get us to keep buying their products.
But, the truth is, the danger of using old makeup is very real, not only because of bacteria (which is bad enough!), but because of the ingredients within the actual products. The FDA does not place as stringent policies on cosmetics as they do on food, which means cosmetics companies can use whatever chemicals they want that are known to cause skin reactions and even cancer. The EU is far more progressive in that it has banned over 1,100 of these chemicals, while the US FDA – only about 11. What do these numbers mean? If you live in the US, Canada, or any nation that imports skincare and cosmetics from the U.S. (i.e. the majority of the world), you need to be THAT much more careful about what you’re putting on your face. Preservatives may make cosmetics temporarily safe, but they last for only a certain amount of time (hence, the need to clean out your makeup drawer).
How long can you hold onto products? Here’s a basic breakdown:
Mascara: Do not use longer than 3-4 months. I don’t care how much you paid for it. You need your eyes to see, and conjunctivitis (pink eye) causes blurred vision and is highly contagious (and honestly, it’s just gross). Tip: I know a lot of you like to pump the wand into the tube before using to get more product on the brush, but that pushes more airborne bacteria into the mascara – avoid at all costs!
Eyeliner and lip pencils: can last about 2 years but please sharpen at least every 2-3 uses, shaving off the part of the nib that’s been lying in your drawer will help prevent the transfer of bacteria to your face. If your pencil is dry – it’s time to toss it – PLEASE don’t wet it with your saliva – that’s the worst thing you can do, do you have any idea how much bacteria is in your mouth? Even wetting with water makes pencils prone to attracting bacteria.
Liquid eyeliner: 6 months
Gel eyeliners: about 18 months
Cream blushes and eye shadows: 1-2 years
Lipsticks/glosses: 1-2 years. Once they start smelling, throw them out. (Yes, girls you know you all have those strange smelling lipsticks – into the trash can they go!)
Powders (face, blush, eye shadows): because most of these don’t contain water, they can last for a little bit longer, about 2-2.5 years.
Cleansers, lotions, creams: sorry ladies, 6-8 month limit – they are preserved with fatty acids that go bad pretty fast.
Concealer: 6-8 months
Foundations: should be tossed after 8 months and definitely after a year (chemicals turn after a while and bacteria adds up from touching the opening).
Other important things to remember:
- We all like to share makeup with our friends – try not to – you’re just passing bacteria back and forth (trust me, you don’t want pink eye, or even worse – cold sores on your mouth).
- If you’ve had an eye infection, don’t use the same mascara or eye products. Toss the mascara out or you’ll most likely give yourself the infection again.
- The eyes you think are itchy from allergy season may be acting up from old eye makeup.
- Again, don’t wet your cosmetics with saliva!
- Acne prone ladies – pay special attention to using old foundation. Once your makeup starts to go rancid, you’ll break out even more.
- If your cosmetics change color, smell funny or change texture – throw them away ASAP
- Keep lids screwed on tightly and keep cosmetics away from sunlight (this is important for you ladies living in hot climates!) – preservatives will break down, causing your makeup to expire quicker.
- Keep your makeup out of the bathroom!
- We all like to use our mothers’ old makeup (yeah they used to have fun colors back in the 70s/80s). Girls, the preservatives in that makeup are long expired. Do you REALLY know what chemicals they used to use in cosmetics back then? And do you honestly want to know how much bacteria there probably is in those products? Don’t do it!!!!
Finally, unlike food, cosmetics companies don’t issue expiration dates because they aren’t required to by law. You have to fend for yourselves. Ladies, just because this stuff is going on top of your face and isn’t being ingested by mouth does not mean it isn’t being absorbed into your skin. I know, most of us can’t afford to keep buying new products – which is why with certain cosmetics and skincare, it may be safer to go with cheaper products so you can buy them again. After all, with the chemicals being put into our makeup, we shouldn’t take the chance of continuing to use them after preservatives lose their effectiveness. Seriously, we have no idea what we will find out ten years down the line about the products we use now. Fen-Phen anyone?
Photo Credits (in the order they appear):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sometrouble/381908930/
http://www.cosmogirl.com/blog/beauty-tip-of-the-day-0923
http://www.bellasugar.com/1796029
http://www.arzoomag.com/bollywood/bollywood-makeup/
So I have the most annoying contact lenses – which eyeliner is LEAST irritating to your eyes?
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Kalsoom – that’s a tough one! Unfortunately all liners will irritate contact users. The best would be to go for something that doesn’t budge – like gel liner (mac and bobbi brown), or any kind of liquid eyeliner (however, i’m not a fan of the way those look). L’oreal HIP kohls are supposed to be great too.
Also, always put your contacts in AFTER applying eyeliner – when you’re in a rush you will no doubt get some on your contacts if you put them in first and that will further the irritation and cause dryness (it’s a vicious cycle).
Any contacts wearing girls with more suggestions?
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[...] Original post: Dangerous Beauty: Avoiding Contaminated Cosmetics [...]
I used to have the same problem because I wear contacts specially with kohl based eyeliner (like mac smoulder/feline- i mean I still use them) but I now religiously use the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner underneath or by itself, which does not smudge, stays on all day and comes out dark on the first application.
The great thing about buying this eyeliner from Nordstrom, is that if you don’t like it, you can take it back, just confirm this with them when you buy it!
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2927056?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=chanel+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults
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[...] post: Dangerous Beauty: Avoiding Contam&… Share and [...]
i have a lipstick which is 8 years old, it’s from back in the day when H&M used to make lipsticks. it’s the best lipstick i have ever owned,- NO ONE and i mean NO ONE makes that colour- so i just cant part with it…will it make me lips fall off?! by the way, i have heard that there is a company which makes bespoke lipsticks- like they are making bespoke perfume these days. if anyone knows the name of the entrepreneur/brand etc please let me know so i can throw that old lipstick away!
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nabila do you use the chanel on your inner rims as well?
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i’ve looked up a few places but they are all crazy expensive i.e. 175 quid for first creation, 45 for remakes. let me research a little more – there is a mac gloss that’s been discontinued (greed) that i would LOVE to have again.
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I have before, and it stays on pretty well, but after a couple of hours it fades. So I turned to Guerlain’s Terracotta Khôl Kajal Intense Indian Kohl for the inner rims, which stays put and is super dark! Both are kinda on the pricey side, but since I use them both everyday, I feel like its a good investment!
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I heard some lipsticks have lead in them is that true?
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This timeline is really helpful. I don’t wanna give up my stuff tho
I got pinkeye once from my cousin cause I used her mascara now I’m really careful i don’t even give my makeup to my sister LOL!
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Pia, some dyes that are used in lipticks do indeed contain lead. However, according to FDA regulations (yes, this is one area that they ACTUALLY regulate!) the amount of lead has to be so miniscule that it should cause no harmful effects to consumers.
There have been cases where cosmetics contained more than the allowed amount of lead. However, these cosmetics are usually taken off the shelves and recalled. A lipstick I used to use by Clinique was discontinued. I learned from a Sales Assistant that Clinique had pulled that line of lipsticks because they contained too much lead.
Even though you can feel safer knowing that cosmetics are regularly tested for lead, as I stated in the article above, they still have a lot of leeway as to what they can put in the cosmetics. So, be safe and don’t use makeup past the recommended usage!
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Thank you, Amina. I know it’s hard to part with makeup, but it’s better to spend a few more dollars than end up having a reaction and then regretting holding on to an old item!
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Now i know what has been irritating my eyes. I just cannot seem to be able to part with my pricey mascara! but LM, i only use it a few times a month, shouldnt that prolong its usage?
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Chai, even though you use your mascara infrequently, the bacteria from the few times you use it festers inside the tube and multiplies. Also preservatives lose effectiveness regardless of whether you use the mascara frequently or not.
From http://www.insider.com: So when should your mascara get the old heave ho? Typically, it would be between two to four months, even if you barely used it. Once the seal of a mascara tube is opened, oxygen begins to pollute the makeup and it will begin to get clumpy and unhygienic, which may lead to eye infections.
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oh, i think i have it, but i think i bought it when i moved to europe!! do the maths! still want it?!
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As I understand it, in the EU you have to prove that a chemical is safe before putting it on the market, whereas in the US, you have to prove it’s dangerous to get it yanked off the shelves. My rule of thumb with baby products, and I assume the same is true of makeup, is check whether substances are banned in Europe before purchasing them in the US.
Of course, I’m far less careful about stuff I put on myself than the stuff that went in my kids’ mouths when they were teething!
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Sadia, that’s a really great idea. I think that’s why I love European Brands better – I just feel so much more comfortable using them, they are so much more scientifically and medically advanced there. Even meds here are approved years after they are in Europe. You can even go get botox in pharmacies there!
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I wear contacts and have been for the past 18 years. There is no liner or kohal that doesn’t irritate ur eyes or make them dry. The solution is to switch to a lense which has more water content and let’s ur eyes breathe. A good brand is Baush n Lomb.
Putting the lenses after doing the eye make up doesn’t work for me…. My eyes get all watery and I end up smudging my make up. Liquid liners are a big no if u wear lenses and I agree some thing like ‘blacktrack’ – fluidline or ‘graphblack’ – pencil liner by MAC are both gentle vth eyes.
I hope I made sense
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