How to Read Date Codes on Beauty Products
While the FDA approves beauty products for sale in the United States, it does not require standard dating to determine their shelf life. Manufacturers' codes can be confusing and misleading since manufacturers still want to sell product beyond its ideal effective period. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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How to Read Date Codes on Beauty Products
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Examine the packaging. You may get lucky and find something as self-explanatory as a date.
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A date such as March 27, 2008B, is called a Gregorian Date Code, and it describes the date of production and batch designated by the company.
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If there is no Gregorian Date Code on the bottle or packaging, check under the lid. You may find 12M or 24M, suggesting that you have 12 or 24 months to use the product now that it has been opened.
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You may find a more confusing set of numbers and letters on the packaging called a Julian Date Code. An example is 276 09B. The first number, 276, refers to the number of days from January 1. In this case, the date is August 16. The next set of numbers and letter refers to the year--09 here--and the batch established by the company for quality control.
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Generally, do not use products more than 3 years after their batch date. Items such as mascara and liquid eyeliners are more prone to bacterial growth and should be changed every 6 months after they are opened. While there is little conformity, using a product past its expiration period will generally not harm you. However, the product may not offer the desired effects for which you bought it.
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