To a skin-care junkie, there are few things more satisfying than opening up your bathroom mirror to find an expertly curated collection of products. But as the weeks and months go by, and bottles of
serums and creams
go unused (or sit in their jars only half-finished), there’s a good chance those active ingredients are slowly losing their efficacy. Worse yet, they might lead to serious skin problems, like an infection, if you don’t dispose of them at the correct time. All the more motivation to stick to a consistent
skin-care routine
, right? Right!
There’s a lot of intel to collect about what ingredients break down the fastest, as well as the best methods for prolonging a product’s shelf life, so we turned to Michelle Wong, aka
labmuffin
, a Sydney-based science educator who is using her PhD in chemistry to teach her fellow beauty lovers about makeup and skin care. With her refreshing mix of transparency, skepticism, and a true passion for the industry, she gave us a thorough rundown of our favorite products, how long they last, and how we can keep ourselves healthy and safe. Check out her advice below.
[Listicle particle error: Unhandled HTML element 'big' in post 2650794391 (context: Element not in supported or skip lists) Element HTML: What are the dangers of using a product past its expiration date? ]
[Listicle particle error: Unhandled HTML element 'big' in post 2650794391 (context: Element not in supported or skip lists) Element HTML: What active ingredients break down the fastest?]
[Listicle particle error: Unhandled HTML element 'big' in post 2650794391 (context: Element not in supported or skip lists) Element HTML: For makeup products, does a powder or cream formula tend to last longer than the other? ]