When to Throw Away Makeup: Expiration Guide by Product

With the fresh air of springtime right around the corner, the urge for cleaning out your home will start anew. Your skincare drawer is most likely one of your most-used areas, as you probably frequent this location both day and night. Although you try to keep it as tidy as you can, it is inevitable that it will eventually need to be cleaned out. Cleaning out your makeup and skincare products is not only sanitary, but it could also help alleviate some stress associated with the mess. 

Do you have questions about when to throw away makeup? Perhaps you have had the same eyeshadow for years and are wondering if its time to throw it away. Our guide will cover this and much more! 

Conquer The Clutter

Empty bottles, dirty makeup brushes, and expired foundation abound. It may come as no surprise that having your skincare drawer in abysmal conditions can cause a headache. According to Psychology Today, our environment can have a significant impact on our emotions and behaviors. In short, clutter can cause us to experience negative effects like heightened anxiety levels or an inability to focus. Makeup and skincare products, especially when expired, can harbor harmful bacteria. When not disposed of properly, this can linger in your skincare drawer and further contaminate your products. 

Maintaining proper skincare hygiene is something many professionals stress, and clinicians like Sheila Nazarian often highlight the importance of using fresh, uncontaminated products to help protect overall skin health.

To begin conquering the clutter, first make a list of what your “must-haves” are. While you need mascara, you might not need five different bottles of it. In fact, ophthalmologists recommend changing up your mascara every 3-4 months! You might also have some miscellaneous items in your skincare drawer. This might include old hair ties or broken eyebrow pencils. Toss away anything that is considered garbage and then lay out the products you wish to keep. Now, we need to make sure that they haven’t expired. 

All Beauty Products Eventually Expire

You should plan on cleaning out your skincare drawer at least every 3 to six months. Why? That is when a lot of products expire. So, this will help you to stay on top of getting rid of the products once they go bad. There is not one beauty product that will never expire. Eventually, you will have to get rid of everything from makeup brushes to foundations. 

How to Know When a Beauty Product Has Gone Bad

When it comes to determining when a product expires, it might not always be cut and dry. Austin Evans who is a makeup artist and is part of Tomlinson Management Group states, “In general, liquids and creams expire fastest, while powders tend to last much longer”. He dives deeper into why this occurs. 

Many popular skincare products that contain retinol and vitamin C will become unstable if they are exposed to oxygen. This is why open jar products are not always recommended. Eyeliner and mascara have the shortest shelf life, which is around three months. 

Lip products can last around a year, as well as foundation. When using your products, you should always check the label for an indicator of the shelf life, as well as on the packaging. It may even be useful to pull out your label maker and date each product by the date you first started using it.

Does Makeup Go Bad? Signs to Look For Before the Expiration Date

The date on the packaging is an outer limit under ideal storage. Most makeup and skincare products degrade faster than that in real use conditions, and recognizing the signs of a product that has turned means you catch it before it causes a problem.

Changed smell: Any product that smells different from when you opened it has undergone chemical change. Rancid, sour, or unusually sharp smells in a foundation, lipstick, or moisturizer are a clear sign it should go.

Texture separation: Foundation or concealer that has separated and does not re-blend, or cream products with a liquid layer sitting on top, have lost emulsion stability.

Color change: Vitamin C serums that have turned orange or brown are oxidized and no longer active. This applies to any serum where the color has shifted noticeably from its original state.

Mascara that has dried out or become clumpy: Dried mascara is also a higher-risk product because the reduced moisture does not mean reduced bacteria.

Skin reactions that are new: If a product you have used without issue starts causing irritation, redness, or breakouts, the formulation may have degraded rather than your skin changing.

"The expiration date tells you the outer limit under ideal storage conditions. Your product may have gone bad significantly earlier than that," says Dr. Sheila Nazarian.

Not sure what is worth replacing in your routine? The skin quiz can help you identify what your skin actually needs right now.

How Long Should You Keep Makeup? Expiration Timeline by Product

Makeup expiration is not uniform. The format, the ingredients, and whether a product comes into contact with mucous membranes or open skin all affect how quickly it needs to go.

Here are the clinically supported timelines to follow:

Mascara: 3 months. The highest-risk makeup product. Each pump of the wand introduces air and bacteria into the tube.

Liquid eyeliner: 3 months. Same logic as mascara.

Pencil eyeliner: Up to 2 years, provided it is sharpened regularly to remove the contaminated outer layer.

Liquid and cream foundation: 6 to 12 months. Pump dispensers last longer than open jars because they limit air exposure.

Powder products (blush, bronzer, powder foundation): Up to 2 years.

Lipstick and lip gloss: 12 months.

Cream eyeshadow: 6 months.

Powder eyeshadow: Up to 2 years.

Skincare serums and vitamin C products: 3 to 6 months once opened. Vitamin C oxidizes rapidly and a discolored serum is an inactive one.

Sunscreen: Check the printed expiration date. Never use expired SPF — degraded sunscreen does not protect.

"Old mascara is one of the most common causes of eye infections I see in a cosmetic practice. Three months is not a suggestion," says Dr. Sheila Nazarian, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.

When you clear out expired makeup, it is a good moment to reassess your skincare products too. Browse the serums and treatments collection to replace anything that has passed its effective window.

When to Throw Away Eyeshadow (Including Old Palettes)

Eyeshadow tends to accumulate. Palettes get used for one shade and sit untouched for years. The general rule is that powder eyeshadow lasts up to 2 years from opening, but that guideline assumes the product has been stored well and used with clean brushes.

A 10-year-old eyeshadow palette is not safe to use regardless of how it looks. The preservative system will have long since broken down. The oils in cream eyeshadows oxidize and go rancid. Powder formulas that have been exposed to moisture from humid bathrooms can harbor mold.

Powder eyeshadow: Up to 2 years from first use.

Cream eyeshadow: 6 months. Cream formulas have higher water activity and expire significantly faster than powders.

Eyeshadow palettes with mixed finishes: Follow the cream eyeshadow rule for any cream pans. Replace the palette at 2 years even if powder shades look untouched.

The eye area is the thinnest and most reactive skin on the face. The American Academy of Ophthalmology advises throwing away eye makeup after three months and replacing all eye cosmetics regularly to reduce infection risk — and specifically states that infection-causing bacteria grow easily in creamy or liquid eye makeup.

"Eye area products require a stricter standard than the rest of your makeup bag. An expired cream eyeshadow can cause contact dermatitis or a stye," says Dr. Sheila Nazarian, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.

When to Throw Away Makeup Brushes and Sponges

Makeup brushes should be replaced every 12 months with weekly cleaning, and sponges every 3 months.

Brushes and sponges do not have a printed expiration date, which is why most people keep them far longer than they should.

Makeup sponges and blenders: Replace every 3 months. Sponges are porous, which makes them ideal environments for bacteria, mold, and yeast. Washing extends their life but does not eliminate contamination risk past the three-month mark.

Synthetic makeup brushes: Replace every 12 months with weekly cleaning. Signs it is time: bristles that splay permanently, shedding, or bristles that no longer hold their shape after washing.

Natural hair brushes: Can last 2 years or longer with proper weekly care. The same replacement signals apply.

How to clean them: Warm water, a gentle fragrance-free cleanser or dedicated brush cleaner, and air drying flat. Never dry brushes upright — water runs into the ferrule and loosens the glue holding the bristles.

Published research on adult acne identifies contaminated applicators as a consistent contributing factor to persistent breakouts. This is a straightforward fix that most patients overlook.

"Dirty brushes are one of the most overlooked contributors to adult acne I see in my practice. People invest in good skincare and then apply it with a brush that has months of accumulated oil, dead skin, and bacteria on it," says Dr. Sheila Nazarian.

Browse skincare tools and replacement applicators from the skin care tools collection.

How to Make Your Products Last 

You will always want to take as many steps as you can to ensure the shelf life of your products. The best places to store your skincare products are in a cabinet or a drawer. Always make sure you wash your hands before and after use. It is important to remain clutter-free and to also abide by the expiration dates of your products to ensure a clean skincare drawer. 

Skincare and Makeup FAQs

Do unopened skincare products expire?

Most unopened skincare products have a 2-year shelf life. Once a product is open it has the potential to be exposed to bacteria. This is the reason an unopened product has a longer shelf life than those that have been opened. 

Does sunscreen expire?

Sunscreens usually have an expiration date printed on the bottle and since sun protection is so important in any anti-aging regimen, there is no use in applying expired, ineffective sunscreen.

Do skincare products expire?

Moisturizers, face creams, and eye creams may last up to six months to a year. The danger does not lie in the cream expiring, but the fact that it becomes less effective as it ages. Creams may also cause irritation or bacterial infections if they are open too long. Open products risk being tainted with harmful bacteria. This is something you do not want to introduce to your face. 

When to throw away makeup brushes?

You will need to care for your makeup brushes each week by gently cleaning them with warm soapy water. Allow them to air dry. This will help decrease the number of bacteria that are introduced to your face. When your brushes start to show wear, it is time to get a new set. In general, brushes made of synthetic fibers may last up to a year, but need to be cleaned at least twice a week. 

When to throw away a makeup sponge?

According to Allure, blenders and sponges need to be washed out once to twice a week. Once the applicators have reached the three-month mark it is time to throw them away. If your sponge is high quality and you give it proper care, you may be able to extend its life. 

How long does eyeshadow last?

It is recommended that you ditch your powder eyeshadow every two years. Cream eyeshadows have a shelf-life of 6 months. 

Does makeup expire?

Yes, all makeup has an expiration date. Some can be found on the containers, others you may have to use general guidelines which we have listed above. 

How long does makeup last?

As a guideline: Foundation, primer, blush and eyeshadow may last up to 2 years. Lipstick should last for one year after it is opened. Eye makeup such as mascara and eyeliner would need to be replaced every three months. See our guidelines above for more details. 

How long does lipstick last?

Lipstick can last up to 12 months. 

How long does foundation last?

Liquid foundations can last up to one year, while a powder foundation may last up to two years. 

How long is mascara good for?

Because of the bacteria that eye products can hold, it is recommended that mascara be replaced every 3 months. 

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