Does makeup expire?

Yes, makeup expires. It doesn’t go off overnight like milk, but the preservatives that keep it clean wear down, the formula changes, and every time you use it you add a little bacteria. Some products last a few months. Others last a couple of years.

The confusing part is that most makeup doesn’t carry a date. The FDA says there are no U.S. laws or regulations that require cosmetics to have specific shelf lives or expiration dates on their labels. So you have to know what to look for.

How long makeup lasts

As a rough guide, the wetter a product is and the closer it goes to your eyes, the shorter its life.

• Mascara and liquid eyeliner: about 3 months. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends replacing eye makeup after three months, and Revlon’s guide gives mascara and liquid liner 3 to 6 months.
• Liquid foundation and concealer: roughly 6 to 12 months. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist suggests six months for liquid foundation; many brands say about a year.
• Lipstick and gloss: often 12 to 18 months according to brands, though Cleveland Clinic suggests six months because lips carry a lot of bacteria.
• Powders like eyeshadow, blush and bronzer: usually one to two years.

Each of these has its own page in our shelf-life guides, with the sources side by side.

The PAO symbol

The most useful thing on your packaging is the Period After Opening symbol: a small open jar with a number and the letter M, like 6M or 12M. It tells you how many months the product is good for once opened.

Under Article 19 of the EU Cosmetics Regulation, products that last longer than 30 months carry this symbol, and products that last 30 months or less must show a best-before date instead. Our PAO symbol guide explains the details, and our expiration calculator turns a PAO and an opening date into a real date.

Signs your makeup has gone off

Dates are a guide. Your senses are the final check. Cleveland Clinic dermatologist Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal lists five signs: a changed smell, a changed texture, worse performance, a changed color, and a new skin reaction like breakouts.

Foundation is a good example. Once it is opened, it starts to oxidize, and it can look darker or more orange than when you bought it. If your shade suddenly looks off, the product may simply be old.

Why it matters

Old makeup is mostly a hygiene problem. Dr. Susan Massick, a dermatologist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, notes that opened makeup can harbor bacteria, which can make your skin more likely to break out, become irritated or even pick up an infection. Eye makeup is the biggest concern, because it can introduce serious infections in the eyes.

Unopened products are different. The same source says unopened expired makeup usually just loses effectiveness. Our guide to unopened makeup covers that in more detail, and expired makeup risks goes deeper into what can happen.

How to make makeup last

Storage makes a real difference. Keep products somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight, and close lids tightly. Don’t add water or saliva to dried products, which the FDA warns brings bacteria in. Clean your brushes often. Our storage guide has the full list.

And write down when you open things. It is the single easiest habit for knowing when something is due, whether you use a notebook, a label on the pack or an app like Makeup Shelf.