We buy beauty products, including makeup and skincare, because we think they will make us, well, beautiful. We think the skincare will solve our skin problems, whether it’s acne, wrinkles, dry skin, the list goes on. We think makeup will hide any imperfections and allow us to put our best face forward.
Did you know that beauty products can expire? While you may not look for an expiration date on beauty products as frequently as you do the food you buy at the grocery store, they do expire.
According to the FDA, different products have a different shelf life. The FDA explains, “A product’s ‘shelf life’ generally means the length of time you can expect a product to look and act as expected and to stay safe for use. This length of time varies, depending on the type of product, how it is used, and how it is stored.”
Cosmetics and other beauty products can start to break down for reasons including exposure to moisture or sunlight. Products that include application via a wand, applicator or fingertip could be exposed to bacteria and fungi. Meanwhile, the ingredients in some products might separate over time.
It’s important not to buy products that have already expired. While you might assume that anything setting on a store shelf is a fairly new product that is safe to use for quite awhile, that is not always the case. One TikTok user named Canon Ryder shared some important beauty product information that shocked many of his viewers, some considering it a scam. The scam is that some retailers are actually selling products that are quite old.
Watch Ryder’s TikTok below to learn more about this scam and how to make sure you’re not accidentally buying old beauty products.
@canonryder Always check cosmetic products!!! #fyp #beauty #makeup #skincare ♬ original sound – Canon Ryder
Many viewers commented on Ryder’s video thanking him for the tip and admitting that they had no idea beauty products from stores such as TJ Maxx could be very old. One person wrote, “me watching this with products from tj Maxx on my face.”
Another comment reads, “Um… so I did this on a few of my Ipsy products and turns out a few of them are really old too. I’ve been robbed.”
Another viewer wrote, “Are people just now realizing why they’re discounted at discount stores?”
Several viewers commented that it’s important not to blame the employees at the store if you realize there are old beauty products on the shelves. One comment reads, “And don’t get mad at the employees for this PLEASE. I promise they 1) did not know and 2) don’t get paid enough for the attitude some of y’all have.”
One employee at Marshalls wrote, “so we get stuff that overstock from companies and stores. BUT we don’t check the products if they’re expired or not.”
One Ross employee wrote, “As a ross worker i am SHOOK.”
While we sometimes love hunting for deals at stores like TJ Maxx and Ross, it’s good to know that you should do your homework before buying beauty products at these stores. There are several websites where you can check to see how old products are. One is checkcosmetic.net. Another is checkfresh.com.
In addition to checking to make sure you’re not buying super old beauty products, it’s also important to keep in mind that most beauty products aren’t intended to be kept forever. If you still have makeup from 10 years ago, you should throw it out. Most makeup and cosmetics are typically safe to use after opening from between 3 to 5 years depending on the product.
Have you ever bought beauty products from a store like TJ Maxx or Ross? Are you going to check the batch code before buying beauty products in the future?