3 minute read
IS IT TIME TO SPRING CLEAN YOUR SKINCARE?
Spring, traditionally a time for a good deep clean but what about what is lurking in your bathroom cupboards, has your favourite face cream gone off? Is that cleanser you’ve had for years growing bacteria and nasties?
Yes, you may be surprised to hear that your skincare expires, yep it will go off and when it does it needs to be binned. Once the expiration date has passed chances are bacteria and microbes have taken home in your product – yuck! Using gone off skincare can cause breakouts and skin reactions and remember everything you apply to your skin will make its way into your body, not to mention the product simply will not perform as it should. With more ‘active’ ingredients being used in skincare, Vitamin C for example is very unstable, it is important to understand how to look after your products after all you’re investing in them to look after your skin.
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HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY SKINCARE PRODUCTS WILL EXPIRE?
Now before you go chucking out perfectly good skincare products have a look at the packaging there is a symbol, a small pot with an opened lid with a number followed by the letter M, for example 3M. This number is the number of months after opening that your product is good to use for. It can be good practice to jot down the date of opening, maybe use a pen like a sharpie to write on the bottle, or a small sticker, this way you will never be second guessing if your product is past its best or not.
Most products also have a best before date, this is the date by which the product should be used by. Now is a great time to double check the dates as you may have products you have not used in a while with the lockdown, and with beauty salons reopening across England and Wales (at the time of writing) it is a great time to book your post winter facial, discuss your requirements and pick up some quality skincare product tailored to your skins needs.
DOES IT MATTER WHERE I STORE MY SKINCARE?
Yes, whilst the symbols and dates are a great indicator tool, they do not take into consideration how you store your skincare. Bathrooms are not a great place for products due to the constant changes in humidity and temperature. Products also do not like sunlight, it can alter the formulas and de-stabilise active ingredients. A cool, dark cupboard is a good place for your treasured skincare products.
DOES PACKAGING MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Pump bottles and pipettes are brilliant they are easy to use, help you measure your product application and limit light and air getting to your product, too much air and the product will Oxidise sometimes turning the product a greenish colour – yuck!
If your favourite product does come in a jar use a cotton bud to remove the product, our fingers add bacteria which you don’t want to grow in your cream to then smoother all over your face, this may sound dramatic, but it happens.
Big jars and bottles may seem like a bargain but think about whether you’ll use all the product before it expires. Quality skincare doesn’t require you to use a lot in your daily routine and so better to use all of a small quality skincare product than be throwing away half a jar of product because it has gone off!
I am an Eve Taylor professional stockist, one of the reasons I chose Eve Taylor was because as well as the amazing performance and affordable price, the products are manufactured in Britain in small batches, so the products are not sat going off on a shelf before they reach you.
Look at your products, see what needs to be used up quickly, whether they are still giving you the results you need, have a good clear out to give you a good start for healthy skin, and remember when choosing new products to look at the dates and packaging to maximise your investment.
