Every makeup bag has one: the mascara from two birthdays ago, the foundation you bought "for special occasions", the lipstick you keep because the shade is perfect. But makeup does not last forever — and using it past its best is one of the most common beauty habits worth breaking. Expired products change texture, apply unevenly, develop an off smell and can irritate your skin. The good news? Once you know how to read the two little symbols printed on every product, you will never have to guess again.
In this article you'll learn how long each type of makeup actually lasts, how to read the PAO symbol and batch codes on the packaging, the tell-tale signs a product has gone off, and simple storage habits that keep your favourites fresher for longer.
Does makeup actually expire?
Yes — every cosmetic product has two lifespans. The first is the unopened shelf life: how long the product stays stable while sealed. For most makeup this is around 30 months, and products with a shorter sealed life carry a printed expiry date. The second — and the one most people overlook — is the period after opening (PAO). The moment you open a product, air, light and daily contact with your skin and brushes begin to change it. Preservatives gradually lose their strength, oils oxidise, and the formula slowly drifts away from the one that was tested and approved.
That is why a mascara opened ten months ago is "expired" even if the tube looks half full, while the same mascara unopened in a drawer would still be perfectly fine. Opened and unopened are two completely different clocks.
How to read the PAO symbol and batch codes
Flip any product over and look for a small open-jar icon with a number inside — 6M, 12M, 24M. That is the PAO: the number of months the product is designed to stay at its best after first opening. A "12M" foundation opened on 1 March is at its best until 1 March the following year.
If you see an hourglass icon or a printed date instead, that is a fixed expiry date — common on products whose sealed shelf life is under 30 months. And the string of letters and numbers stamped near the barcode? That is the batch code, which identifies exactly when the product was manufactured. It is how brands (and retailers) trace every item back to its production run — one of the quiet marks of a genuine, traceable product.
Makeup shelf life by product type
As a rule of thumb, the closer a product gets to your eyes and the more water it contains, the shorter its life:
- Mascara & liquid eyeliner — 3 to 6 months. The shortest life in your bag. The wand travels from your lashes back into a dark, moist tube every single day.
- Liquid foundation & concealer — 6 to 12 months. Water-based formulas drift sooner; check for separation and a change in smell.
- Cream products (blush, eyeshadow, cream lipstick) — 12 to 18 months. Oils in cream textures slowly oxidise.
- Lipstick & lip gloss — 12 to 18 months. Constant contact with lips means a natural limit even for your favourite shade.
- Powder products (powder, bronzer, powder shadow) — 18 to 24 months. The longest-lasting category — little water for anything to grow in.
- Nail polish — around 24 months. Thickening and stringiness are the signs it is done.
Because mascara has the shortest life of all, it is the one product worth replacing on schedule rather than "when it runs out" — most tubes dry out at about the same time they expire anyway.
Signs your makeup has expired
No sticker on the bottom? Your senses will tell you. Replace a product when you notice any of these:
- The smell has changed — sour, painty or "off" notes mean the formula has oxidised.
- The texture has separated — foundation splitting into layers that no shake will fix.
- The colour has shifted — darkened edges on lipstick, a grey film on powders.
- It applies differently — clumpy mascara, patchy foundation, streaky liner.
- Your skin reacts — new tingling, redness or irritation from a product that was always fine before.
A fresh foundation should feel light, blend evenly and look the same at the end of the day as it did in the morning. If yours has started behaving differently, the formula — not your technique — is usually the reason.
How to make your makeup last longer
You cannot stop the clock, but you can stop it running fast:
- Keep lids tightly closed. Air is the main enemy — it dries out formulas and feeds oxidation.
- Store makeup cool and dark. A drawer beats a sunny shelf; the bathroom's heat and steam are the worst spot of all.
- Never add water (or worse, saliva) to revive a drying product — you dilute the preservative system that keeps it safe.
- Wash brushes and sponges weekly. Clean tools keep the product in the pan cleaner too.
- Don't pump your mascara wand. Pumping pushes air into the tube; swirl it gently instead.
- Sharpen pencils before each use — a quick sharpen refreshes the surface that touches your skin.
And when a favourite does reach the end of its run, treat it as a small upgrade moment — formulas improve constantly, and a fresh product always performs the way it was designed to.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use makeup past its PAO date if it looks and smells fine?
The PAO is the period the formula is tested to stay stable, so it is best treated as a real limit rather than a suggestion — especially for eye products. Powders are the most forgiving category; mascara and liquid liner are the least.
Does unopened makeup expire too?
Yes, but much more slowly. Most sealed products stay stable for around 30 months or carry a printed expiry date. Stored cool and dark, unopened makeup easily outlasts opened products — which is why the "open one, keep one" habit works well.
Where do I find the PAO symbol on my product?
Check the back of the packaging or the base of the product for a small open-jar icon with a number inside, such as 6M or 12M. The number is the months the product stays at its best after first opening.