We have all heard that you should only keep your mascara for 10-12 weeks once you open it. But how long before that moisturizers gets mucky or blush becomes blah? Is that discount store sale really that much of a bargain? How long has that cleanser been collecting dust on the shelf? If you have always wondered when a good product goes bad, here is a quick way to determine if you are going to hand over your dollars.
How To Determine When A Good Product Goes Bad
First, every product has what I call a “tuna can” logo with a number on it. Usually it has 6M or 12M or 24M or something like that printed on that can. If it is not on the product itself, look on the box or in product information guide, because it is there somewhere. That let’s you know how long the product should be good after it is opened for the first time.
The second thing that you should look for is a group of letters and numbers. Each cosmetics manufacturer determines its own method of how this will appear on their product, but it is meant to represent the batch that the particular item in that container was manufactured from. Some companies use a letter to represent the month, for example A may represent January, B may represent February, and so forth. The letter may also represent a group or other identifying code. The most important thing you want to look for though is what signifies the YEAR a product was manufactured and packaged. Both examples I photographed were from 2008. From the code marked AA8, I can determine that in January of 2008 this item was produced. The second example has the code crimped on the end of the packaging tube and the year happens to be the first number shown.
Just remember though regardless of year, once you open your product you have only until the date on the “tuna can” for the effectiveness of your makeup purchase to be guaranteed.
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