LONDON: When you’re twirling the mascara wand on your lashes, have you ever rolled it over to see its expiry date? And what about that hand cream you bought from your trip last year? If you have been slacking off about cosmetics and skincare products lying on your dresser with layers of dust settled on it, you might be landing yourself a dermo dilemma.
A poll carried out by retail brand Debenhams suggests that women who use make-up products beyond its expiry date are putting their health at risk. The poll discovered that 57.7% of women make-up bags consist of expired cosmetics and they don’t throw it away as they think it to be a waste.
But what they don’t know is that it causes health risks that can lead to problems like breakouts, eye infections and skin rashes. “It’s worrying to find that so many women are putting their health at risk by keeping hold of make-up for too long,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Lisa Brett, spokesperson for Debenhams.
“It’s important to check the recommended ‘use by’ date on a product, and don’t be tempted to hang onto it even if it’s been discontinued! An out-of-date product will not give you the results it once could, and it may leave you with problems,” she added.
The poll revealed that 73% of women are not even aware of the expiry date of their make-up products.
One-third were found to use eyeliner that is over an year old, which could lead to serious eye infections, 22% were said to keep foundation well over a year — leading to a bad skin complexion and breakouts — and 7% of women admitted to keeping eye shadows for over six years, which is way over its one-year recommendation.
Brett said, “If your make-up is past its best, it’s a false economy to keep using it until it’s all gone — it’s not worth the issues it could cause. Now spring’s here, what better opportunity to change cosmetics in your make-up bag?”
“Aside from health benefits of replacing your old cosmetics with new, the work of make-up will have moved on leaps and bounds if it’s been a few years since you explored it,” she added. “With new formulations and colours hitting the shelves all the time, there’s really no need to hang on to old make-up.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2013.
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