UK bathroom cabinets contain £5 BILLION worth of out-of-date cosmetics… here’s how to tell if something’s expired
Holland and Barrett find that British women are hoarding expired beauty products
BRITISH women are said to be hoarding an extortionate amount of beauty products that are in fact out-of-date, according to a recent study by Holland and Barrett.
The study found that the bathroom cupboard could be women's biggest dumping ground for cosmetics, with the average female admitting that they have not had a cabinet clear-out for more than two years.
Some women that took part in the study even admitted to having items that are up to five years out of date.
Amongst some of the most popular items to be collecting dust on our bathroom shelf? Old bottles of shampoo and conditioner, dusty bath bombs, bottles of hair removal cream, out of date condoms, eyedrops and cough medicines past their sell by date, unused nail polishes, lipsticks, blushers and face creams - to name a few.
In fact, as many as 7 in 10 women are likely to buy a beauty product, use it once, and then leave it to rot at the back of their cupboards - with 21 per cent admitting that they are beauty hoarders.
The research comes as part of Holland and Barrett's Cleaner Beauty campaign, with the mission to encourage transparency within the beauty industry.
But how do you know if a beauty product is out-of-date? We've listed the signs to look out for:
- Change in colour
- Looks runny or has separated
- Formula has gone lumpy
- Feels different on the skin than it once did
When you should bin your beauty products
- Mascara and eyeliner, regular or waterproof: 3 to 6 months maximum. Always bin dried up items.
- Cream, stick or liquid foundations: 6 months to 1 year
- Blush, bronzer and powder: 2 to 3 years
- Lipstick, lip gloss and lip liners: 2 to 3 years
- Cleansers: 1 year
- Exfoliants: 1 year
- Body moisturizers: 6 months to 1 year
- Lip balm: 1 year
- Toners: 6 months to 1 year
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
Another rule to follow, is to always check the PAO (Period After Opening) symbol on the back or bottom of the product.
This will appear as an open jar icon, with a number followed by an 'M' inside.
The PAO will give you a rough idea of how long you should be keeping the product on your bathroom shelf after opening.
For example, if the icon contains '12M', this indicates that you should probably toss the product after a year of it being open.
Manwhile, can you guess which of these women spends £1,000 on their make-up, and who has a £10 budget?
And beauty fans are going crazy for this dupe of Rihanna's Fenty Beauty Body Lava.