When it comes to food and beauty products, there's one thing most people don't mess around with: expiration dates. That's because when food or beauty products 'go bad,' the mold and bacteria growing in them can make you literally and figuratively sick.
Tossing them when their expiration date passes is only common sense. However, most hair products sold in the US don’t come with an expiration date at all.
That’s because the FDA treats most hair products as cosmetics, and no US law requires cosmetics to carry an expiration date. Hair products that also count as drugs, like a dandruff shampoo, are the exception, since drugs generally must be dated. Does that mean you're on your own when it comes to figuring out if your mousse, conditioner, hair mask, creams, or shampoo are expired?
Not exactly. In this article, we'll outline how to identify expired hair products and the potential hair problems they can cause when used beyond their expiry date.
Do Hair Products Expire?
Hair products will eventually expire, although the FDA doesn't require hair product manufacturers to include a traditional expiration date. Our general rule is to throw away an unopened hair product after 36 months.
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Once the product has been opened, we recommend throwing it away within 12 months. However, using it more quickly would be preferred. Plus, depending on the product type, the expiration date will vary.
Key Takeaways
- Shelf Life of Hair Products: Unopened hair care items, including shampoos and hair masks, typically have a shelf life of up to 36 months. Once opened, they should ideally be used within 12 months to prevent the risk of harmful microorganisms and bacterial growth, which can irritate your skin.
- Identifying Expired Products: Look for physical changes such as color change or foul odor in your hair care products. Water-based products like shampoos and conditioners are particularly susceptible to microbial growth. If the product's texture, smell, or appearance changes, it's a good idea to discard it.
- Storage Tips for Longevity: Store hair care products in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, like a bedroom closet rather than a steamy bathroom, to extend their shelf life. High humidity and light can accelerate the degradation of both natural and chemical ingredients, leading to quicker expiration.
- Understanding Labels: While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't require expiration dates on cosmetic products, many brands use a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol-a small jar with a number indicating the months a product remains effective after opening. This label offers a clear indication of the product's useful life.
- Safe Usage: Expired hair care products, especially those with natural ingredients, can cause allergic reactions or skin irritation. It's advisable to adhere to the recommended time frame on the bottle and replace old shampoos, hair sprays, and other personal care products regularly.
What Is the Shelf Life of Hair Care Products?
Several factors affect how long hair care products will last after opening. Here's a short list of the primary factors:
Unopened On the Shelf
Generally speaking, most hair care and beauty products will stay viable on the shelf, unopened, for 36 months (or 3 years).
However, this general rule of thumb depends on the ingredients within the product. Homemade DIY products made with fresh ingredients, however, won’t last nearly as long.
Opened
Once a hair product has been opened, we recommend using it up within about 12 months, or within the number of months shown on its PAO symbol. Also, keep in mind that contamination of the hair product may reduce its shelf life.
Check the Label
Since 2005, European Union rules have required beauty products that last more than 30 months to carry a Period After Opening (PAO) mark: a small open jar with a number on it. US law doesn’t require it, but many brands sold here use it anyway.
For example, 6M, 12M, or 24M means a hair product lasts 6 months, 12 months, or 24 months after you open it.
No Expiration Label?
If the hair product you're using doesn't have an expiration label, we recommend using it up within about 12 months after it’s been opened. The same 3-year shelf life works if it's unopened.
The Label Doesn't Tell the Whole Story of Expired Hair Products
It's easy to purchase a hair care product and, down the road a bit, forget precisely when you bought it. If that's the case, and you don't have an expiration label for help, don't freak out.
Below are several methods you can use to make sure your product is still usable:
- Appearance: Does the product look like it did when you first purchased it? If it appears that the product's texture has changed, it's time to throw it out.
- Smell: Does the product smell the same, or has its odor changed? The fragrance is one of the first things to lose its potency and undergo changes.
- Separation: Has your haircare product separated? Does it look "cloudy" when it used to be transparent? Is it now thick when it used to be thin? Visually checking your hair products is an easy, fast way to determine if they're still useful.
Here's the thing, though: if you have a product on your bathroom shelf that's been open for over a year and you still haven't used it up, it probably isn't your favorite product anyway.
Can You Still Use Expired Hair Products?
Once a hair product passes its expiration date, we don’t recommend using it. It makes sense to be cautious: a study of 55 cosmetics found the most bacteria in the ones that were past their dates.
The reason why is simple: bacteria. Depending on how the products have been packaged, some beauty products can quickly become contaminated with bacteria, which you don't want anywhere near your face, skin, or hair.
The Period After Opening (PAO) Symbol
Many skin and makeup brands use a specific mark on their packaging called a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol. The PAO symbol is a graphical indicator that tells you the useful life of a particular product once it's been opened.
That's good news, and the even better news is that many haircare brands have started doing the same thing. So, if your product contains the PAO symbol, we recommend following the manufacturer's recommendations.
Finding the PAO Symbol
First, take a close look at the label to find the PAO symbol on your favorite product. On it, you'll see a small 'container' and on that container, the letter "M."
There’s no set spot for it, so check the back and the bottom of the label. Next to the M, which stands for Months, is a number. That number, as you might have guessed, is the number of months the product can be used once it has been opened.
No PAO, Symbol? No problem.
If you can't find a PAO symbol on your product, don't stress. You can use most of the same visual and olfactory clues to figure out if a product is still good enough to put on your hair or skin.
For example:
- If your aerosols or spray products start to smell different, it’s time to toss them.
- Does your conditioner look like oatmeal? Into the trash, it goes!
- Something that's been sitting around for 1, 2, 3 years, or more? File it under "G" for garbage. Let's be honest; if it were your favorite product, it wouldn't have been sitting on the shelf for years.
Some Hair Products Last Longer (or Expire Sooner) than Others
While most hair products don't have an extremely long shelf life, some do. For example, spray products, mousse, and dry shampoos often have longer useful lives.
Most of these come in an aerosol can, protecting them from contamination. For this reason, they can often last quite a bit longer.
On the other hand, hair care products that are exposed to light, heat, air, and human touch or contain water and oils will usually spoil faster.
For example, this includes any products that come in a jar, like creams, gels, or products that have high water content. The reasons why include:
- Constant touching transfers bacteria.
- Oils go rancid at different speeds, from about six months to several years, depending on the oil (see our hair oil guide).
- Water is a breeding ground for fungus and mold.
Where You Store Your Hair Products Makes a Difference
Like food, where you store your hair and skin care products makes a difference in their shelf life. High humidity and exposure to light are the worst storage conditions, but, unfortunately, you'll find both in the typical bathroom.
Frankly, if the product is sitting in your humid, light-filled bathroom, you have two choices: use it relatively quickly or throw it away after it goes bad.
How to Store Hair Products at Home
We recommend storing hair products in a cool, dark, dry location. This opens up several options, including a bedroom closet, a hall cabinet, or even the refrigerator in some instances.
While putting a fridge in the bathroom is probably a bit much, storing eye cream or certain milk-like hair gels in the refrigerator makes sense.
These hair products are often expensive for one thing, so you want to make sure they don't spoil. For another, eye cream often comes in an open jar, and dipping your fingers into a jar is one of the main ways bacteria get in.
Also, if you create homemade DIY products, the fridge is the best place for anything made with water or fresh ingredients and no preservatives. Use it up within a week or two.
No matter where they're stored, make sure you always put lids on tightly and close caps securely. It's the best way to make sure your hair products last as long as possible!
How to Track the Expiration Date of a Hair Product
- Document the purchase date and open date within your hair journal. If you don't have a hair journal, read this article to create one.
- Using a piece of tape, document the product's purchase date and open date.
- If you’d like a technology-based solution, set a reminder on your phone for 12 months after the day you open a product.
Deep Clean Your Product Collection
If you've got a collection of beauty products sitting all over your bathroom while you're wondering if they expire or not, it might be time to do a deep clean. It takes a bit of time, but it's well worth the effort!
- Take out and inspect every product, checking its expiration or PAO symbol (if applicable).
- Check and clean all brushes and other makeup tools.
- Toss anything that looks, smells, or appears to be unusable.
Related Articles
- Does Shampoo Freeze?
- Does Hair Dye Expire if Opened?
- Does Hair Bleach Go Bad?
- Can Conditioner Expire?
Last Words on Expiration Dates
We've written detailed guides on the expiration dates of several types of products, including shampoo, hair oil, hairspray, hair gel, hair dye, conditioner, and hair bleach. Check out these guides for a detailed write-up of specific hair products.
It's important to note that beauty and hair care products do indeed expire. We hope that this article has given you the information you need to determine whether your hair products are still viable or need to go to that great, big salon in the sky!
