Makeup: Cosmetics and their shelf life

Should you really still be using that dried out mascara? Maybe it's time to ditch that cracked up blusher you've had for months? Eva Gizowska investigates the optimum shelf life of what's inside your make up bag

Come on, admit it. You're one of those people who hangs on to your favourite cosmetics until the bitter end, when the label on the powder compact is just barely legible, or until you can't dig any further into that lipstick tube with your lip brush. If this sounds familiar, what you may not realise is that keeping certain products for too long can be unhealthy.

'All products have a length of time during which they are most effective,' says Dr. Patrick Bowler, a leading dermatologist who practices in London and the founder of The British Association of Cosmetic Doctors. He adds, 'If you keep cosmetics longer than that, they no longer work well and you increase the risk of contamination.'

Unfortunately, you can't always tell a product's shelf life just by looking at the label, because there's no longer a legal requirement to use expiry or use-by dates on the majority of products. According to The Cosmetics Products Safety Regulations of 1996, only products that won't last longer than 30 months need to show a use-by date, whereas all other products don't need one

Know when to throw

So how can you tell when a product's fit for the bin? 'It depends on the ingredients and the preservatives in a product', says Dr. Bowler, 'but as a rule of thumb most products without a use-by date should be used within three years of leaving the factory.' It sounds like a long time, but what can you expect if you decide to hang on to a product for longer than that?

'Most products are packed with preservatives - in some cases as many as five or six - to ensure that they don't allow bacteria to breed easily,' says Dr. Bowler. 'So, in most cases, once a product is past its use-by date you'll simply end up with something that looks and smells "off," is unpleasant to use and is no longer effective." The worse case scenario is that you could develop a nasty rash or skin infection if the product has become contaminated with bacteria. However, the chances of this happening are extremely rare, because most cosmetics these days are packed with such large doses of preservatives.