DOES YOUR LIPSTICK ACTUALLY EXPIRE? (Spoiler alert, it does)

Wait, does lipstick actually expire? 

"Welcome to the Make-Up Chronicles!"  

INT.  BEDROOM

You’ve got two minutes to be ready for your Prom date.  You apply the finishing touches using your favorite liquid lipstick, you stretch your lips taunt, like when grandma smiles without her teeth, then the smell of garlic and onion assaults your senses like a criminal on NCIS...umm.

The night is going great! When you notice the Prom Queen sharing a kiss, you step off the dance floor for a moment only to have the Queen grab your arm and lead you towards the restroom… 

The Prom Queen slowly backs away before looking through her purse and pulling out her nonexistent lipstick. 

You look down at your lipstick

ㅤ

Both breakout in laughter.

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Where your makeup speaks volumes.

Does lipstick actually expire?  Well… 

In short, YES!  Your lipstick DOES expire. You’re probably wondering WHY, as well as WHAT the different types of lipsticks have to do with it. Thankfully...

Here’s the science:

What are Lipsticks made of? 

All lipsticks are made from three primary ingredients:

• Wax
• Oils
• Pigments.

The amount of pigment determines how strong the color is and the amount of oil also affects how sheer or rich the pigment is. These ingredients vary from:

• Mineral
• Petrolatum
• Olive oil
• Cocoa butter
• Castor
• Jojoba
• Kaolin 

What are the different types of lipsticks?  

Traditional Lipsticks are the buttery wax lipsticks that come out of their tube as you twist them open. They have more oil so they are usually lighter in pigmentation. 

Liquid Lipsticks go on using an applicator wand also known as the doe foot to your lips. Liquid lipsticks have more pigment ingredients in them, making their color last longer. Since most liquid lipsticks are mattifying, it’s a good idea to moisturize your lips prior to applying. 

Lip Glosses also go on with a doe foot. (make me laugh every time). They are thinner in pigment, but higher in oils, making your lips look shiny and glossy! 

How long does your lipstick last? 

Do you have lipsticks that you've never opened?

If stored in good conditions (in a cool, clean, dry place) your unopened lipsticks can last up to two years! Anything past two years, it’s time to toss it, sis!

What does the expiration process look like, you ask?

Just like the rest of your makeup, lipsticks will begin to expire the moment you open them and exposed it to air.

When you break the seal, your lipstick is exposed to oxygen, causing it to oxidize. When oxygen makes contact with the ingredients in your lipstick, it is the first trigger that starts the expiration process.

Nowadays it's hard to keep track of WHEN exactly you've opened your makeup. Who has time to write all that down and organize it? Let's be real, not many of us! 

Thankfully, Date My Make-Up has you covered with an easy solution. 

You can keep track of when you've started using your makeup as well as the expiration dates for each product with our unique Makeup Expiration Labels. 

They're cute, convenient, digital and long lasting until you're ready to throw your makeup out!

Since we're talking about lipstick, here's a sneak peek of our lipstick label: 

Aside from oxygen making contact with your lipstick, here are other factors that can effect your lipsticks life too, such as:

• Bacteria and germs
• Dirt
• Dead skin
• Food  
• Using lipstick while you're sick and after you've recovered.
• Sharing your lipstick... STOP IT!

Did you hear that? 

That was the voice of your lipstick screaming in pain because you ate something garlic-y, greasy and then kissed your boyfriend, shared it with your best friend, and THEN reapplied your lipstick WITHOUT cleaning your lips first.

Look, your lipstick loves to be loved, but not in THAT way.

in this case, sharing is NOT caring. 

This can open the door for health ailments, which is the last thing you want. 

Safe Beauty Tip: Need a quick fix for dirty lipstick? Use an alcohol wipe!

You should keep an eye out for the physical signs of expired lipstick?

A funky smell! You don’t want to sabotage your first kiss, do you?

Crumbling in the texture. This occurs in traditional lipsticks around the lip of the tube. We know crumble cake is delicious, but this type of crumble ain't it, sis.

Lack of smoothness and ease when applying to your lips. 

Here are your Safe Beauty takeaways: 

• Got smelly or crumbly lipstick? It's expired, girl!
• Sharing is NOT caring! 
• Unopened lipsticks last up to two years.
• Traditional lipsticks last up to 12 months after opening. 
• Liquid lipsticks last up to 6 months after opening.
• Lip Glosses last 6 months to a year after opening.  
• For a quick fix, wipe your lipstick's tube or doe foot with an alcohol wipe! 
• Use Date My Makeup's Expiration Labels to keep track of your lipsticks expiration.
• Your lipstick also has a PAO (period after opening) dated label. 
• If it takes coaxing for your lipstick to go on smoothly, then it may be time to say, hasta la vista, baby!

Want an easy way to keep track of all your makeup products' expiration dates?

Check out our FREE Makeup Expiration Chart. Free Download:

That's it! 

Hey! DMM Blog Team here!

We had a lot of fun with this blog and we hope you liked it as much as we did creating it. 

Want more makeup and personal hygiene tips? 

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If you have any comments, questions or would like to share any of your makeup experiences, don’t forget to leave a comment below! We would LOVE to hear from you. 

And as always, we hope to see you in the next one!

Safe Beauty to you!

References:

1. https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/makeup-decoding-lipstick#:~:text=Most%20lipsticks%20are%20made%20from,and%20mineral%20%2D%2D%20add%20moisture.

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