How long can I used expired creams?

It’s 2023!  The new year is time for refreshing and renewing.  As much as I love the Christmas decorations, I love the clean uncluttered look of putting them away.  One of my favorite podcasts is “Clutter Free Academy”.  I am not really cluttery, but I sure can accumulate stuff if I’m not purposeful about getting rid of the old to make room for the new.

As a dermatologist, one perk is all the skin care products I have and I try.  Not everything makes the cut, so I end up with lots extra or things that I barely use.  I am very picky about both what I use and what we offer in the Spring Boutique.  However, that can leave skin care products unused in my cupboards. Plus, sometimes I get things in huge containers that last forever.  

This leads to the question… How often do I need to clean out my skin care products? And When are they too old to use?  Expired in 2022? 2021? 2020?  Embarrassingly I recently noticed that the huge bottle of ZO Gentle Cleanser that I use in the shower expired in 2017.  Oops!  As the Bible says, “Let he without fault cast the first stone.” 

On all products there is usually an expiration date on the bottle, tub or tube.  Sometimes it is at the end tube where the tube is sealed together.  Before opening a new product, I recommend looking at the expiration date and determining if you think you will use it all before it expires or spoils.

When deciding how long you can keep products, there are two big considerations.  What kind of product it is and what kind of container it is in?

When thinking about what kind of product it is, the question is potency and stability.  If it is very important that the product is 100% effective, then you probably want to use a fresh tube.  For instance, when prescribing chemotherapy creams for patients, I often recommend having a fresh, unexpired tube that is going to having effective cancer killing capacity.  Cosmetic ingredients like antioxidants and hydroquinone, often are unstable and often don’t last very long once opened.

When considering what kind of container it is in, the issue is how much the product is exposed to the air and if you are touching the product with your fingers.  Open containers are the worst.  Open containers with a screw top lid expose a lot of the product to air which can lead to oxidation and breakdown of the product.  Even more, sticking your fingers into those open containers also inserts bacteria and debris from your hands and fingernails into the container.  Tubes are a little better.  Pumps are the best, especially the newer vacuum pumps.  These pumps are closed systems that do not allow our fingers or the air to contact the product in the pump.  So, you can keep a pump longer than a tub.  Bar soaps last the longest.

Here are some additional rules of thumb…This is not meant to be medical advice, just a little friendly advice.

Prescription products – Generally I allow a few months past the expiration date on the tube, but not much.  It’s just not worth risking it.

Sunscreen– Chemical sunscreens should definitely not be used past the expiration date.  However, mineral sunscreens, with zinc and titanium as active ingredients, are more stable.  Because mineral sunscreens are inert minerals, they don’t degrade as fast.  However, these products can spoil.  If it doesn’t have the correct consistency or smells bad, don’t use it!

Other creams and lotions –  Sometimes these don’t have an expiration date. Generally these are supposed to last a few years from when purchased, but the factors above may impact longevity.  Label products with a sharpie on the day you purchase and/or open them.  This will give you an idea of how long a product is usually lasting you, and when you opened it.

At any point in time if any product is the wrong consistency or smells, definitely dispose of it.  Products also last longer if kept at a stable temperature.  Avoid leaving them in your car or a medicine cabinet that overheats.  

Hope that helps! Happy cleaning everyone!

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