Is it still good?
Like many of you, I have read all the articles about when beauty products expire and when we must start anew. Moisturizers, face and eye creams 6 months to a year, mascara and liquid eyeliners 3 months, eye shadows 2 to 3 years. It is sometimes hard to keep track of it all, and it often varies from brand to brand and product to product. Unlike food, most beauty products don't have an expiration date printed on them (some do, but the majority don't.) Hence, how do you really know when it's time to say goodbye?
As I was scrolling through the news feeds early one Saturday morning I had that"aha!" moment. There, plain as day, was the answer. It had been right in front of me, this whole time - a simple picture of an open jar with a number printed inside known as a "PAO" or "period after opening" symbol.
I had seen this little picture time and time again on almost all my beauty products, yet had never bothered to look it up. How long had it been there? Where did it come from? Who put it there? I did some research and found out how this ingenious little notifier came to be.
The "PAO," or period after opening symbol was adopted by the European Commission. It's inception followed a 2003 Directive by the European Parliament amending legislation on cosmetics and was created in a joint effort with Member States and the cosmetics industry. The new labelling requirement was for cosmetic products hitting the shelves in the European market after March 11, 2005. Since many brands today cross all borders, this symbol could be found on many products distributed in North America.
2005?! Where have I been? Where was I in 2005 that I was totally oblivious to this? Ah yes, taking care of an active toddler. Obviously, I was not sitting home all day watching tv as some people would claim (AHEM my ex-husband), or I would have become aware of this new legislation well before 2018! Nonetheless, it's never too late to become informed.
The symbol provides consumers with a time frame the product should be used within, once it has been opened. That is, of course, provided the item has been kept under normal conditions. If it has been sitting in your car for months on end in 100 degree temperatures, then I suspect different rules might apply. The open jar symbol is used for items with a shelf life of 30 months or more. Products that have a lifespan of less than 30 months have a "best before date" printed next to an egg timer symbol like the one below.
Egg timer symbol used in conjunction with a "best before" date for products with a lifespan under 30 months.
Grasped with this new information, I quickly started checking all of my cosmetics and sure enough I found a picture of an open jar with a number on almost every one, including my eyeshadows and nail polish .
Period After Opening symbol from NYX eyeshadow palette
Though in the US the FDA doesn't require this labelling for cosmetics, unless they are also considered drugs, such as sunscreens, maybe it should. It takes the guess work out of remembering when, and if, our beauty products will turn on us. Kudos to the Europeans! Indeed they are ahead in all things beauty and fashion, and obviously this is no exception. Now if only these pictures were equipped with a timer that could keep track of when each item was opened we would be all set!