Is my nail or beauty product out of date?

In a previous blog for Scratch, I discussed the shelf life of nail products. In this article, I will go into more depth about what the labelling on products means, what you need to be aware of and how to understand the expiry of each nail product.

What is shelf life & ‘period after opening’?

The shelf life or expiry date of a nail product is defined as the length of time a product may be stored unopened without becoming unsuitable or unsafe for use.

The period after opening tells you how long the product can be used after first opened before it becomes unsuitable or unsafe for use.  This is the most common best before date used in nail products.

Cosmetics are regulated by different governmental entities around the world. While there may be different specific regulatory systems, they have a common goal of ensuring that cosmetic products are safe and properly labelled. In this article we will refer to the EU Cosmetic Regulations.

What has a shelf life in the nail industry?

Cosmetics

Any substance or mixture intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body such as the skin or nails with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, changing their appearance and/or correcting and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition. The majority of these have a shelf life.

Some products do not require an expiry to be shown because the product will not deteriorate in normal use. Examples are aerosols which are effectively sealed, cosmetics with a high alcohol content or single use packs.

Biocidal Products

These are used to protect humans, materials or articles against harmful organisms like viruses and bacteria, by the action of the active substances contained in the biocidal product. These have a shelf life.

Medicines

A product which by ingredient, claims or presentation advertises as treating or preventing an adverse condition and crosses the medicines borderline such as ‘reduces athletes’ foot’.  These have a shelf life. 

Articles

Products we use in conjunction with cosmetic and medical products, such as nail brushes, nail files cotton wool, cuticle tools etc are considered articles. They, therefore, do not fall under the scope of the EU Cosmetics Regulation and do not have a shelf life.

What does the labelling mean?

On each cosmetic, medicine or biocidal product, there will be a small open jar symbol as above.  This will usually be located on the back or bottom of the product. This symbol is called the Period After Opening (PAO).  This tells you how long the product can be used before it becomes unsuitable for use.  This will include a number such as 12M, 18M, 36M. The describes the months this product can be safely kept and used after first opened.

The EU Cosmetics Regulation requires cosmetic products to provide the following information on the label or on the packaging:

• A date of minimum durability such as best before a named date or a duration period after opening to show for how long the product may be kept or used.
• Any product that has a lifespan of less than 30 months must show a best before the end of date. This is shown using the ‘egg timer’ symbol displayed above followed by the date. e.g. December 2021.
• For products with a lifespan longer than 30 months, these products must show a ‘period after opening’ time. That is, the time in months when the product will remain in good condition after it has used been opened for the first time. A symbol of an open cream jar is usually used instead of words and the time in months can be inside the symbol or alongside it.  Once opened, use within/best before e.g. 12M.

How to keep your products working at their best

While the shelf life is important, you should always check the physical properties of nail products after opening the container. When kept past their shelf life, some nail products will become dangerous or provide poor results. A product’s quality may decline before the expiration date if the product has not been properly stored.

Nail products that have been improperly stored – for example, exposed to high temperatures or sunlight, or opened and examined prematurely – may deteriorate substantially before the expiration date. On the other hand, products stored under ideal conditions may be acceptable long after the expiration date has been reached.

If they contain antibacterial ingredients, their shelf life may be shortened to one year. If used after their shelf life, they will be likely to lose some of their effectiveness.

For many cosmetic products, such as lotions and hand creams, the preservatives eventually get used up, especially with repeated opening and closing and bacteria can then grow in the container.

Nail polish does not tend to go bad with bacteria after opening because the solvents are chemically hostile to microorganisms. Research shows that microorganisms don’t survive in nail polish.  However, while it may be okay to use after expiry due to this, it might not be any good after many years due to slow colour changes or changes in viscosity making it unusable.

Using products after this time will invalidate your insurance in the event of an issue arising. While a product may appear perfectly fine after the expiry of PAO date, there is no guarantee and this is not a risk you can take when using these products on customers.

How to get the most out of your products:

• Follow manufacturer instructions carefully
• Tightly close lids on products when they are not in use
• Use products within the lifespan indicated by the Period After Opening symbol or expiry date
• Avoid storing products in direct sunlight or near sources of heat; choose cool and dry areas where possible
• Never dilute products unless as per manufacturer guidelines
• Apply products with clean hands or an orange wood stick
• When in doubt, throw it out!

Love Katie B x

www.katiebarnesacademy.com