Kick your Expired Makeup to the Curb & Get Organized!

It’s Spring cleaning time at my house.  Last week, I stood in front of my makeup cabinet and realized it had been a LONG, LONG time since I tossed anything away. We’re talking years, not months.  Not good.

I struggle with throwing makeup away which is why I generally avoid doing it.  But with everything going on in the world right now, it’s important to be as healthy as possible and that includes not putting on makeup that could potentially be loaded with bacteria.  It was time to get rid of the expired makeup and get organized!  I hope you will take advantage of this down time and do the same.  In this post, we’ll dive into makeup expiration, how to know if your makeup has expired and a few ways to organize your makeup for the future.

Expired Makeup may contain Bacteria

When you consider what may be lurking in your 12 month old mascara or your 3-year-old blush, it’s scary.  There really isn’t a nice way to put it other than “gross”.   Old makeup can contain bacteria.  And bacteria can cause all sorts of problems including pink eye, clogged pores, irritated skin, breakouts and staph infections … just to name a few.

Makeup Expiration – How to Tell When To Toss It

Although cosmetic companies are not required to have an expiration date printed on the packaging, many of them do.  There’s a tiny symbol on the label that most people don’t even notice.  The symbol tells you how long your makeup products will last after you’ve opened them.  You’ll find this symbol on most makeup products and many skincare products as well.

If the product does not have the expiration symbol, simply keep track of when you purchase them. Then use the Makeup Expiration Guide below to determine when you should toss and replace.  There are several ways to remember when you purchased a product such as labeling the product with a sticker or a sharpie pen.  There are also a few apps that will keep track of your makeup and notify you when they expire.

Below is a general guide to makeup expiration dates.  Keep in mind that most Natural Beauty products have a shorter shelf life as they are free of preservatives.  Natural Beauty products should be replaced every six months unless the product package indicates otherwise.

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Organizing Your Makeup

Once you’ve sorted through your beauty stash and tossed all of your expired makeup, it’s time to get organized!  There are a number of options to store your makeup products and they come in all shapes and sizes.  A simple search on Amazon brings up a gazillion makeup organizers.

I use a makeup cabinet similar to the IKEA Alex 9 Drawer Makeup Organizer.  I found a dupe for it and saved $170.  You can check out my IKEA Alex Makeup Drawer Dupe here.  I also use a Makeup Organizer like the one here to organize makeup that I use on a daily basis.  Below are some of the best makeup organizers available to get organized so that you can easily find all of your makeup when you need it!