Skin care products have existed since before our era, but since the time of Cleopatra, who was a famous devotee of spa treatments, they have evolved significantly. Despite various preservative additives, today's creams, gels, emulsions, scrubs, tonics, etc. have certain expiration dates. This article will tell you how to store face cream so as not to get the opposite effect from its use.
Under what conditions should it be stored?
Any skin care products should be stored in dark places with good ventilation. At the same time, sudden changes in temperature and humidity levels should not be allowed.
Sun rays and hot air, as well as exposure to extreme cold, can reduce the shelf life of face cream several times. Therefore, it must be kept at a temperature of +15°C -+25°C.
Not every cream can be stored in the refrigerator. You should absolutely not keep it on the door, where the temperature constantly changes every time you open it. Under such conditions, the product may begin to delaminate and lose its consumer quality.
It is permissible to store face cream in the refrigerator only if this product is made at home and is intended for several days of use.
How to properly store face cream after opening is an equally important question, given that its shelf life is significantly reduced.
Store the unsealed jar of cream in a cool, dark place. It is important to close the lid tightly after each use.
When a container with a cosmetic product is opened, it is advisable to mark this date on the box or the jar itself in order to know exactly its expiration date.
It should be remembered that using expired cream often leads to skin rashes, peeling and other unpleasant consequences.
Shelf life after opening the jar or tube
Each cream has an individual composition, which directly affects the period of use after opening the container.
The composition and structure of the cream is influenced by the method of its use. Facial cosmetics from a jar require direct contact with your hands. Thus, microbes and harmful components, air, enter the texture.
This may shorten the life of the care product. It is recommended to take a portion of the cream not with your fingers, but with a special cosmetic brush.
Creams retain their properties better in tubes . They have less contact with external components, oxygen does not enter the tube as actively.
Where to store
The cosmetic product must be in a tightly closed container. You need to keep it in a closed cabinet, dresser drawer, kitchen cabinet, away from heat sources (stove, radiator, boiler, etc.).
Products made at home and consisting of natural ingredients should be kept in the refrigerator. Its shelf life is determined by the most perishable product present in the composition.
Storing face creams in the bathroom is not advisable. There is a fairly high level of humidity, which, against the backdrop of constant temperature changes, leads to the proliferation of harmful bacteria even in products containing preservatives.
Keeping skin care products in your bag or makeup bag is also a bad idea. It is impossible to reliably protect products from temperature fluctuations in such conditions.
You just shouldn’t store face cream on the dressing table, especially if there are small children and animals in the house. Such household members may use cosmetics for other purposes, with unpleasant consequences.
It is advisable to keep large quantities of sealed skin care products in a separate, closed box in a cool pantry or closet. From time to time, you should check your supplies and get rid of those that are nearing their expiration date.
How to check the expiration date of cosmetics: the best ways
To check the expiration date of cosmetics, you should know several effective methods that will 100% accurately help determine when your cream will be unusable:
Decoding the production date of cosmetics by code. Each brand has its own expiration date based on the batch code. Batch code is a set of numbers and letters that the manufacturer applied to the packaging when manufacturing the product. It encrypts the date/batch number/expiration date. There are only 2 to 10 symbols that you should look for on the bottom of the jar, on the side of the bottle or on the top of the tube).
To determine the expiration date of cosmetics by code, you should remember several online services that allow you to check this product according to all indicators: from batch number to expiration date.
You can check the expiration date using the batch code on these sites:
- Checkcosmetiс.net
- Сosmeticswizard.net
- Checkfresh.com
- Makeup-review.com.ua/decoder.php
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How it works? You find the batch code for the product, select the brand in the appropriate line, enter the code symbols in another and press, for example, Calculate or Check. And now you see complete information on your product, which you decided to check for expiration date.
Decoding the production date of cosmetics by code using the example of Gurlain Terracota Sun Tonic bronzing powder:
1. Find the batch code. Here it is at the bottom and looks like this: 7P01. It can also be found on the cardboard packaging under the barcode.
2. I select Guerlain on the Checkfresh website in the brand line. I fill in the line with the code. I click Check.
3. Result: the date of production of the powder is February 2, 2022, at the moment it is 5 months and 11 days old. And the shelf life of the product is 36 months. I still have 31 months of safe use of this powder.
In addition to deciphering the expiration date of cosmetics by batch code using these sites, you can use summary tables containing complete information on the most famous cosmetic brands. For example, xpiry.narod.ru/. Here you can read a detailed explanation of the batch code by symbol, and also find out the expiration date of most products of the selected brand.
Applications for a smartphone. You can download a decoder application to your smartphone, which will quickly give you complete information based on the batch code you entered: from the country of origin to the production date and expiration date. Examples for Android: the “Check your cosmetics” application, Cosmetics Checker 2, Code Checker: labels scanner and others. Some applications will not only help you check the expiration date of cosmetics, but will also decipher the composition of the product, and also test for cruelty free and vegan-friendly .
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Storage conditions for different creams
The temperature at which to store face cream primarily depends on its composition. The higher the content of natural ingredients in a product, the shorter its shelf life.
- Moisturizing creams are considered the most undemanding to storage conditions. Such products do not react too much to sudden fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and are not able to quickly oxidize when interacting with oxygen. Moisturizers most often contain fats, acids and glycerin, which can retain their properties for quite a long time. The moisturizer has a shelf life of about 12 months if stored in a dark cabinet.
- Anti-aging creams contain retinol, a substance that does not tolerate high temperatures. The shelf life of such products is more limited: up to 4 months in a cool, dark place.
- Skin tonics that have a cooling effect can be kept in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 months.
- The product, made on the basis of natural ingredients , should be kept in a cool place. For example, in winter, in a closet on a glass balcony or on a refrigerator shelf. A cosmetic product made from natural ingredients, purchased in a store, has a shelf life of up to 6 months. And if it is made with your own hands, it cannot be preserved even in the cold for more than 1 week.
- Whitening creams are not picky about storage conditions and can easily withstand any temperature that is not too high. They should not be kept near heat sources. The whitening cream can be stored for up to 8 months after opening.
- Products for the care of problem skin contain zinc, various acids, and plant extracts. These components can be destroyed when interacting with oxygen. Therefore, it is especially important to tightly close the container with the product. And also keep it in a dark place with a low temperature.
- The day cream can be stored under natural conditions (+23°C -+25°C). But you should avoid exposing it to bright light and high temperatures. Shelf life - up to 6 months.
- Night cream , as a rule, has a delicate structure and does not tolerate cold. It should be stored for up to 6 months in a dark place.
Regulated by
The legislator obliges to establish the expiration date and storage of cosmetic products during production. That is, the manufacturer himself determines how long his product will retain its properties and be safe, based on the composition and other factors. Legislation protects buyers through regulations:
- The Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 472, makes it the responsibility of the manufacturer to determine the time when the product can be used.
- Federal Law No. 2300-1 of 02/07/1992 “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, Article 5, establishes the concept of deadlines, prohibits the sale of cosmetics when they have run out, and Article 19 establishes the right of a citizen to complain about product defects.
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 16, 1997 No. 720 “On approval of the list of goods that, after a certain period, may pose a danger to the life and health of the consumer.”
- GOST 31460-2012 “Cosmetic creams. General technical conditions" establishes requirements for color, smell, raw materials, materials, testing of goods in the laboratory.
How to find out the expiration date of cosmetics?
There are several ways to determine the freshness of the purchased products. The easiest way to determine the expiration date of cosmetics is to find the inscription from the manufacturer. It may look like:
- date of manufacture;
- "Sell by";
- both dates.
It is important to consider that these figures are relevant for sealed packaging of cosmetics. After it is unsealed, the ingredients of the product begin to enter into chemical reactions with air, and this significantly reduces the shelf life
In addition to the manufacturer's inscriptions, there is another method for determining freshness, which will additionally help determine whether the product is original or counterfeit.
Expiration date of cosmetics by barcode
Any package contains an image consisting of vertical lines of different thicknesses and numbers. Decoding the expiration date of cosmetics using a barcode is impossible, this is a misconception. This code is applied to determine the country of origin. Additionally, it contains information about the company and the product number, but not its freshness. You can check the expiration date of cosmetics using the code of another category. Often it is also applied with shorter strokes.
Checking the expiration date of cosmetics using the batch code
This cipher consists of letters and numbers. It provides information about the year, month, and even day the product was released. Checking the expiration date of cosmetics using the butch code is complicated by the fact that each manufacturer has its own scheme for indicating dates. There are 3 ways to find out the numbers you need:
- Ask for a table to decipher a specific brand in the store.
- Contact the manufacturer. There are feedback forms on the official websites.
- Use an online calculator.
Most women prefer to check the expiration date using the batch code of cosmetics using the third method. The most popular and simple online calculators with an extensive database of common brands:
- checkcosmetic.net;
- cosmeticswizard.net;
- checkfresh.com.
Useful video
Do you want to know how to properly store creams to avoid viruses and bacteria getting into them:
Using face cream is not only an important ritual for the beauty and freshness of the skin, but also a factor in a woman’s excellent well-being. It is very important to choose the right cream that suits your skin type.
and do not focus on bright advertising or spectacular ones. Take care of your skin health.
Take care of your beauty!
Face cream is a woman’s assistant at any age. To preserve its beneficial properties, you must follow the instructions for use.
. Let us consider in detail the intricacies of storing facial products and the duration of use after opening the jar or tube.
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