It can be very tempting to use a skincare product until the bitter end. After all, body butters, moisturisers, oils, and scrubs can be very expensive and take months or years to use up if you only use them for a specific reason or during certain seasons. So, how harmful is it to your skin to keep using expired skincare products?

Nada Ward, the founder of solid soap company Beauty Kin, is back and this time she is explaining how certain ingredients can be damaging to your skin if they have expired, along with offering solutions for outbreaks caused by out of date skincare.

Can you dive back into that pricey tub of opulent body scrub that has been gathering dust in your medicine cabinet for the past 18 months? Keep reading to find out.

Why Do Skincare Products Expire?

All beauty products expire, especially if they have active ingredients in them – which refer to components that are added to target a particular problem or concern (fine lines or age spots). These kinds of ingredients can encourage faster bacteria growth which, if applied to the face, can cause reactions such as irritation or redness

Skincare products will almost always come with a visible expiration date, which can be found within an illustration of a little tub. If a formula is infused with some kind of natural components, such as dairy milk, its period of usage will be a lot shorter than a product made up of synthetic chemicals. Dairy milk contains lactic acid, making it a very popular skincare infusion.

If you have very sensitive skin, a simple shift in the way the formula is made up could cause your complexion to become inflamed, like if you keep a face cream in direct sunlight. If bacteria has set in, there may even be a particular smell coming off the product, which is always a good indicator of when to know to throw something away.

Can Expired Oils be Damaging to the Skin?

Most hydrating formulas designed for the skin contain high-quality base oils, such as argan, jojoba, rosehip, and almond, along with many others. Oils designed for use on the skin are usually more expensive than everyday moisturisers, as they are boosted with a very high number of active ingredients.

This is because they typically come with a specific use in mind, such as to target fine lines, age spots, or hyperpigmentation. If you have splashed out the big bucks on something expensive and certified organic, it will not have been mixed with synthetic preservatives. Due to this, it is very susceptible to going rancid.

This can lead to the product simply stopping working, meaning you have wasted your money (and nobody wants that) or you could be making yourself vulnerable to rashes and even burns.

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Is It Easy to Tell if Your Oil Has Gone Bad?

Will it smell different?

The main way to tell if an oil has gone bad is to smell it, as an expired formula will take on a bitter, stagnant sort of scent. Unlike moisturisers, oil that contains active ingredients will not harbour bacteria – but this doesn’t mean that you should keep using it on your skin.

Will it look different?

Another way to identify expired skincare products, especially oil, is to check the colour. If oil has been oxidised (exposed to too much sunlight or fresh air) it is important to notice whether the formula has gone paler than it was before.

Will it feel different?

The texture of oil can also change if it has been exposed to too many external factors, going from light and silky to sticky or overly thick. Many oils are boosted by polyunsaturated fats which, while encouraging a luxurious feel on the skin, means they are a lot more likely to expire before their time.

What About an SPF Cream?

In recent years, and thanks to SPF enthusiasts and influencers like @demicolleen, it has become commonly acknowledged in the beauty community that SPF needs to be worn every day. That’s right. Not just in the summer. Not even just when the sun is out, but all the time, as UV rays are always there. Even when it is cloudy.

Now, if your SPF expires, it will stop providing your skin with protection. This not only renders your product absolutely useless but also leaves you susceptible to burning. The NHS states that all sun cream should be suitable for use for up to two or three years, so it could theoretically accompany you on several trips away if you’re travelling solo.

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Will it smell different?

All of us know what a sun cream smells like – in the UK, the smell of sunscreen usually indicates the beginning of summer and encourages us all to jump online and book a holiday. However, if your cream starts to lose that scent and takes on more of a sour, foul-smelling odour, the chances are that it has expired.

Will it look different?

As brands tend to add an infusion of oil to most sunscreens, one of the most telltale signs of expiration is if the oil begins to split away from the rest of the product. The oil offers a smoother application experience, despite many people feeling that it causes their pores to become blocked.

Will it feel different?

What was once an airy, sumptuous formula will become sticky or even watery, as the oil separates from the creamy SPF concoction. SSPF that has been left in the direct sun can also overheat, which can encourage a grainy, almost sandy texture that feels very uncomfortable on the skin.

Can Expired Body Scrubs Be Harmful?

As, occasionally, scrubbing can seem like a lot of effort, many of us end up leaving them to fester in our bathrooms. After all, who has the time to apply fake tan or shave their legs every day? Not us! However, if you are prepping your skin for a shave or just want to slough away some dry skin, is it harmful to use an expired scrub?

As, sadly, expired skincare products are advised against. It is important to make sure your scrubs are kept out of humid, overly-moist conditions – which may mean that it needs to be removed from the bottom of the shower, where it has been sitting all these months.

As exfoliating can be hard on the skin at the best of times, using an expired one can only make the situation worse, encouraging redness and inflammation.

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Will it smell different?

Lots of people like to make their own sugar scrubs at home, as it can be a lot cheaper than buying one from a shop. It also avoids being hounded by sales assistants. However, this will require the use of lots of natural, organic ingredients that can quickly go bad.

As a homemade body scrub will also require an essential oil, which can also easily become contaminated, the smell of the scrub will either be diminished altogether or soured.

Will it look different?

Discolouration usually occurs on most expired skincare products including body scrubs, but they can also almost solidify due to the sugar in them hardening. This can occur if the product is kept in an environment that is too cold, as coconut oil can very easily become solid.

In extreme cases, your body scrub could even become ‘soupy’ and melt into a liquid, especially if left in hot conditions. This will not only mean that it will have no exfoliating effect whatsoever but could also clog your pores.

Will it feel different?

As we know, body scrubs usually feel firm yet sandy, and it can occasionally require the strength of Mr Incredible to dig some out from the pot – which is totally normal. However, if your scrub is no longer grainy, then you will not be able to feel your dry skin being sloughed away as well as you normally can.

The overly-sticky nature of the body scrub, if melted or expired, could lead to blackheads and whiteheads appearing, as your skin cannot breathe properly.

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Is there anything I can use to help a breakout caused by expired skincare products?

We recommend our Beauty Kin Clarifying Bar, which has been hailed for its ability to minimise the appearance of body acne. Perfect for skin that is prone to blemishes and breakouts, the bar is infused with exfoliating salicylic acid and tamanu to reduce the look of redness and to help unclog pores. The formula helps to coat the skin in hydration, avoiding the risk of dryness, while neroli adds a luxurious scent.

Whether you are treating yourself to a bougie, top-of-the-range, organic product, have started your own potions class at home, or have taken to the high street, it is always important to realise when something has gone out of date.

As well as the product becoming ineffective, your skin could also become irritated and damaged as a result of bacteria build-up. Acne could also more likely appear if you are using expired skincare products, as your skin is not being properly cleansed – so check the label!