Every skin care product has a certain shelf life. Until that time, the product remains effective. Also, body lotion is no exception in this case. Do you know “when does body lotion expire”? The packaging of every body lotion mentions the expiry date from the manufacturing date. That means how many months of body lotion is safe for your skin to use.
If you store body lotion properly, it will last for a long time. Despite that, it expires after a certain period when it crosses its shelf life. Generally, the expiry date depends on the lotions’ brands. This expiry date may vary from 1 year to 3 years.
But do you know what can happen if you use expired lotion? Read this article so you know when your body lotion expires.
When Does Body Lotion Expire?
The body lotion has an expiration date, like other products. Generally, body lotions contain preservatives for increasing shelf life. Its prime function is to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth in it.
But over time, the preservative loses its effectiveness. As a result, bacterial growth occurs within the lotion, which interacts with the ingredients. Normally, commercial manufacturers use chemical ingredients in body lotions in most cases. But they also use natural ingredients in body lotions as well.
Natural ingredients can change more quickly when exposed to sunlight. When you put your body lotion in contact with Sunlight, the ingredients become less effective. Because the body lotion’s formula breaks down quickly on exposure to sunlight. Thus the shelf life of body lotion ends.
How To Store Body Lotion To Extend Its Shelf Life?
Everybody lotion has a specific shelf life as long as the product stays usable.
Keep Away From Sunlight
You should keep your body lotion away from the sunlight. Otherwise, the sun will raise the temperature of your body lotion and cause its formula to break down.
Keep Your Body Lotion Tightly Sealed
Body lotion requires the presence of anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic conditions are those where oxygen is not present. If air enters the body lotion, the presence of oxygen in the air will cause a reaction called oxidation.
Consequently, the ingredients will start to change completely and lose their effectiveness. Such as vitamin C can be inactive in the presence of air. For this reason, it is very important to close the lid of the glass container.
Store The Body Lotion At Room Temperature Or In A Cool Place
At high temperatures, your body lotion formulas can melt. Due to this the ingredients of the body lotion become separated. That’s why body lotions last longer when stored at room temperature around 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also keep the body lotion in the refrigerator. If the packaging of the body lotion states that you should keep it in a cool place then you should follow these instructions. Because the shelf life of lotion increases at low temperatures. Microorganisms are inactive at low temperatures, they cannot grow.
What Happens To Your Skin If You Use Expired Lotion?
There are some risks to using expired lotion. After using expired body lotion on your skin, your skin will not be as effective as before. You may even see some negative effects.
- Won’t Hydrate Your Skin
Body lotion locks in the moisture on your skin and keeps it hydrated for a long time. But when its expiration date crosses, its ingredients will no longer work as before for your skin. That is, it will not keep your skin hydrated.
- Won’t Smooth Your Skin
It will not make your skin smooth or glow like before.
- Causes Irritation:
Using expired lotions for bacterial and fungal attacks on body lotions can cause skin irritation and allergies.
- Infection:
After a certain period i.e. when the date is over, the ingredients start to change and turn into toxic ingredients chemically. These toxic ingredients can lead to infection in your skin.
What Are The Signs You Can Notice When Your Lotion Has Expired?
Body lotion changes in texture, color, and smell when it expires. You will see the changes if you notice them carefully while using them.
- Changes In Smell
After the body lotion expires, its smell changes. Because bacteria attack the lotion ingredients causes a rancid smell. If you notice the difference in its smell, you can know that the lotion has crossed the expiry date.
- Body Lotion Becomes Watery
Expired body lotions lose their effectiveness as the ingredients break down. Because of this, the effectiveness of the emulsifier decreases. The function of an emulsifier is to hold other ingredients together.
Because of this, the water content of the lotion tends to separate from the oil content. Then the mixture of water and oil does not mix.
- Changes In Colour
Oxidation occurs if air enters the body lotion container. This causes the color of the lotion to turn yellow or brown. If you notice a slight color change in your body lotion, it means that your lotion has expired.
What Container Is Safe For Properly Storing Body Lotion?
To extend the shelf life of body lotion commercially, the lotion manufacturers use plastic containers. But they do not use all types of plastic for body lotion. There is a prime condition for the container. That condition is there is no chemical interaction of the lotion with its inner surface.
As a result, the body lotion’s contents will therefore continue to work effectively for a long period. In most cases, containers for body lotion are typically made of polypropylene.
This is because polypropylene bottles do not react chemically with the lotion inside. Also, polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer that is mechanically strong, flexible, and able to resist heat. Even this material is light and easy to transport, so it is mostly used to make containers for body lotion.
Glass containers are also widely used for body lotions. Because the body lotion remains airtight inside the glass. An important benefit of glass containers is that they remain inert. Thus, high-quality lotions are sealed in glass containers so that chemical reactions do not occur.
How To Find The Expiry Date When Buying Body Lotion?
The expiry date may be mentioned anywhere on the body lotion container. Different brands of lotions have expiry dates written in different places. You have to find it well by looking all over the container.
- First, you can look at the bottom edge of the container.
- If you cannot find it there, you can look at the lid of the bottle.
In most cases, there is a symbol that shows how many months this body lotion remains effective for your skin. You will notice that there may be some digits written there like 12 or 24 or it can be 24.
That means you can use this lotion for twelve months or twenty-four months or sometimes its shelf life can be thirty-six months after opening this body lotion.
Is Using Expired But Unopened Body Lotion Safe For Skin?
The packaging of body lotion has a specific symbol of the month. That symbol represents how many months you can use the body lotion after opening it. Suppose you purchase a body lotion in 2022.
You kept that lotion for one year without opening it. Now if you use it after one year, the time of expiry will count from the opening date. In this one year, the body lotion will not lose its effectiveness, it will remain the same.
But this does not mean that if you open the lotion after ten years from the date of purchase, its effectiveness will remain like before. As the beneficial activity of its ingredients gradually decreases over time.
You can use the product for up to two years after purchasing it. However, how long it is safe to use for your skin depends on the formulation of the product.
FAQs
Is Expired Body Lotion Harmful For Skin?
After the expiry date of the body lotion, it does not mean that it must be harmful to use. Crossing the expiry date of a body lotion means that you will no longer get the same benefits from using it.
But most times, it becomes bad for your skin. Because if your skin is very sensitive then the use of expired lotion may cause the skin to react negatively.
Can I Use The Body Lotion If It Is One Year Expired?
No, you should not use expired body lotion There will be no benefit in using expired body lotion. Because each body lotion maintains the activity of its ingredients for a certain period.
The emulsifiers or preservatives used in it gradually become inactive. Because they break down over time. Therefore, when you use it on your skin even after its shelf-life has passed, it won’t work.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this article, you already know “when does body lotion expire”. You should strictly maintain the expiry date while purchasing the body lotion. You can store the article as described above. Then you can use body lotion on your skin for a long time.
If you have stored body lotion for a long time, then check its manufacturing date before using it. If you accidentally use expired body lotion and it causes skin problems, consult a skin specialist immediately.