Expired Makeup and Separated Skincare Products
Bathroom drawers frequently become graveyards for expensive face creams, separated foundations, and dried-out mascaras. We hold onto these products out of guilt over the money we spent, but keeping expired cosmetics severely compromises your skin health and clutters your daily getting-ready routine.
If your morning routine feels chaotic, your makeup bag is likely the culprit. Digging through dozens of expired lipsticks to find the one you actually want to wear wastes precious minutes every single day.
Professional organizers ruthlessly purge old beauty products because applying them introduces harmful bacteria directly to your face.
Currently, the FDA does not legally require cosmetic manufacturers to print strict expiration dates on their packaging. However, manufacturers hold the responsibility for ensuring their products remain safe for consumer use.
To help you manage your cosmetics, many brands feature a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol on the bottle—a small icon of an open jar displaying a number like “12M,” which indicates the product remains safe for twelve months after you open it.
You must pay special attention to eye-area cosmetics. Industry experts strongly recommend throwing away your mascara just two to four months after purchase, as the wand suffers from repeated bacterial exposure that can cause serious eye infections. If your skincare products change color, develop a strange odor, or begin to separate, throw them in the trash immediately.
2 Responses
Yes I have done all these things 6 months ago, and I’ve got to do it again, electronics and chargers strings that have frayed. I’ve just thrown away ink pens I’ve had for a year or more, my new ones don’t last 2 months. I buy in bulk bc I get use to that style. Then they change and then the news bleed. I don’t like certain things to change. If it works don’t change it.
Don’t throw away canvas, or other types of, bags. Reuse them when you go shopping so you don’t get plastic bags!