If you are new to selling makeup online you likely cannot find an expiration date on most makeup, and you’re wondering “What the heck?”. So today I am going to tell you all about it!

The FDA does not require cosmetics to have an expiration date on them unless they contain an active ingredient (such as a "Collagen Booster" or "Skin Firming"... and there has to be an ACTIVE ingredient that performs this action), therefore the majority of cosmetics do not have exp dates. BUT, ALL makeup has "After Open Dates" (Technically, it's called the PAO which means Period After Opening). You can find the “After Open Date” by looking for the tiny jar-icon on the cosmetic, it will look like one of these:

On the jar image you will see the letter M, which stands for “Months” in addition to a number, which represents the quantity of months. So, if the jar icon on a lipstick says “12M”, it means the user should throw away the lipstick 12 months after they use it. But, let’s be honest here, does ANYONE actually do this? I sure as heck don’t. I discard makeup when the consistency changes or when I use it up. Hell, I have had the same red Clinique lipstick for at least 3 years. I keep it in my Travel bag for vacationing.

With that being said, there’s some obvious signs that a cosmetic has “went bad” regardless of what the jar icon says:

• Discoloration Spots
• It’s Clumpy
• It Smells Strange
• It’s Rock Hard
• There’s Beads of Oil

CAN YOU USE MAKEUP PAST EXPIRATION? 

Sure.  The point of the expiration date is to let the buyer know when they should expect the makeup to work perfectly.  But this doesn't mean the makeup "goes bad" on the date on the label.For example, if the expiration date printed on the Liquid Foundation says "August 2020" and today is September 1st, 2020, the Foundation does not have a way to know that it needs to expire.  With that being said, if the Foundation contains "Pore Minimizer Serum" in it, the active ingredients in the Serum might begin breaking down, therefore the ability to Minimize the Look of Pores may start to diminish over time even though the Foundation is still usable.  *****EXPIRATION DATES ARE CHOSEN BY THE MANUFACTURER OF THE PRODUCT, NOT BY THE FDA / GOVERNMENT! *** If you think about this, it will become pretty obvious that it is to the manufacturers advantage to have the product "expire" sooner than later. Like, if the product said it's "Good for 2 years" you wouldn't throw it away after 3 months and buy a new one!

The only product I truly suggest avoiding is mascara once it becomes "clumpy" or old.  Getting mascara flakes or dust in your eye is not only painful but also dangerous!