Shelf life of cosmetics: verification methods and storage rules

Each representative of the fair sex seeks to be irresistible. Ladies constantly buy new cosmetic products and put them on a shelf, and rarely see the expiration date of purchased products, and even more so do not get acquainted with the information on the date of sale. But the ability to read the dates provided by the manufacturer allows you to understand not only the acceptable terms of use, but also the originality of cosmetic products.

By purchasing their favorite cosmetics, women get acquainted with the proposed annotation, namely with the sections "Composition", "Method of application" and "Expiration date". If paper liners are not attached to cosmetics, all the necessary information can be found on the packaging. The fair sex should arise when buying cosmetics, which have a full description of the product in an unknown language. However, guarantees from the seller’s words about a three-year use period reassure women. But naive credulity can lead to unpleasant consequences.

According to the rules of trade, all cosmetic products must be labeled with the date of manufacture and shelf life in a sealed state. All this time, cosmetics can lie in warehouses, stand in store windows or on home shelves. Some manufacturers record the total shelf life on their products, after which cosmetics can be thrown away.

The standard storage period for cosmetics is 3 years from the production date. In this case, information about the exact day of manufacture of the composition is indicated on the label. Each country of origin indicates the date in the most appropriate format. For example, Asian companies indicate the production date in an unusual version of the Russian people - GG / MM / DD.

After opening the sealed packaging, the expiration date changes. Contact of the components with air leads to a gradual loss of all its properties by a cosmetic product. To determine how long a product can be used after opening, you must carefully inspect the packaging and find the image of the jar with the lid open.

In women's society, it is believed that the shelf life of cosmetics can be determined by the barcode number. But this is a huge mistake. In fact, the barcode number allows you to determine the country that produced cosmetics, the company and the product code itself. In addition, the 13-digit barcode digits can reveal the originality of the purchased cosmetics. But this will require some calculations. For example, we take the barcode number of cosmetic oil 4607086566831:

• for starters, even sequence numbers are added together: 6 + 7 + 8 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 35;
• the resulting amount is multiplied by 3: 35 * 3 = 105;
• then the numbers from odd positions are added: 4 + 0 + 0 + 6 + 6 + 8 = 24;
• to the resulting sum of odd numbers the product of even ones is added: 105 + 24 = 129;
• the last digit of the resulting number must be subtracted from 10: 10-9 = 1;
• Next, we look at the last digit of the barcode: if the value matches the calculation, then the product is original, if not, it is fake.

Batchcode indicates the batch number in alphanumeric form. On foreign cosmetics that do not have Russified information, one should look for exactly this value or its analogue - lotnumber. There are no graphs in this code encryption. The number of digits in the code ranges from 2 to 10.

Batchcode is more for business use, not consumer interest.. For this reason, batchcode decryption does not have specific standards. Each manufacturer provides information in a form convenient for him.

In the riddles so incomprehensible to the average person, information is hidden not only about the party, but even about the shift that worked when the goods were released. This uniqueness helps solve many problems associated with marriage. For example, when the cap of the tube is scrolled or there is no protective film on the neck. For violations of any nature, it is enough to choose the goods of the defective batch and withdraw them from sale.

But most importantly, batchcode helps the consumer determine the expiration date of cosmetics, since the product creation date is encrypted in it. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a standard form, reading batchcode without the help of modern technology is impossible. And not all manufacturers indicate so much important information on the packaging of their products. However, world-famous brands do not see anything reprehensible in this and are ready to indicate batchcode data in a prominent place.

Today, there are three ways to decrypt the data specified in batchcode. Each of them has certain advantages, although upon careful examination it is possible to identify some disadvantages.

Choosing the right cosmetic products, do not neglect the help and advice of sales consultants. They can also request documents for selected products from them, which will indicate the batch code with a detailed decoding and the manufacturer's genuine seals. Unfortunately, if the manufacturer of cosmetics turned out to be a small company, it is most likely not possible to see documents of this kind.

If the choice of the consumer fell on the cosmetics of an international brand, it would be more correct to look for detailed information about the product on the manufacturer’s official resource. Batchcode data can be presented in the form of tables, specially designed sites and applications for the phone with the possibility of free use. In the case of decoding the table, each individual digit and letter will have a certain value, which can only be compared with the data indicated on the product.

Specially designed batchcode decryption sites are a bit more complicated than tables, but all because you have to go to more than one portal page. But there is no need to carefully study the table values ​​and look for letters to parse the mysterious algorithm. It is enough to select the brand of the product, and in the free field specify the value of batchcode.

For convenience, it is proposed to get acquainted with several online services, allowing you to quickly see all the necessary information about cosmetics.

• Checkfresh. The English interface may seem inconvenient, but despite this, the portal has a huge advantage: choosing a brand from the list, an image appears on the screen with a sample of the product and an indication of where to look for batchcode on it. And this is very convenient, because finding the necessary code on the package with the information indicated in small print is very complicated. The only drawback of the service is the lack of a quick search.
• Checkcosmetic. The interface is also English, but there is a quick search function. Using this site, each consumer will be able to calculate the date of manufacture of the goods, correlate it with the general characteristics of this product group and determine the expiration date.
• Cosmeticswizard. The resource is completely in English, but, despite this, is understandable to each user. Only a limited number of brands support the resource. With its help, it will be possible to determine only the production date, the portal does not provide other information.
• Makeupreview. Most consumers like it much more than the previous ones. It is Russified and a bit like Checkcosmetic resource. The disadvantage is the lack of a quick search, due to which the time required to check the goods increases significantly.

For the most complete information It is advisable to decrypt batchcode across all resources. On the smartphone, you can download many applications to determine the expiration date of cosmetic products. In this case, you do not have to demand from the seller documents for the goods or "walk" through the Internet in search of decryption batchcode.

This method should be used when the first two options were unsuccessful. Today, many companies are trying to avoid consumer requests through intermediaries and are ready to talk directly with the buyer, answering all his questions. To do this, just go to the official website of the manufacturer and fill out the feedback form. In this case, it is important to indicate in the circulation all information about the product, and if possible, attach photos.

It is impossible to guarantee that the answer will come within 3-5 minutes. Similar requests from other users come constantly, and they all need to be processed. The response in most cases comes the next day. And if you have additional questions, you don’t have to re-fill the application form. It is enough to answer an existing letter from the managers of the company.

Each cosmetic product has a certain shelf life. However, compositions of synthetic components can be used much longer than mixtures of natural substances. Upon initial opening, such cosmetics react with oxygen, due to which all elements of the composition begin to lose their properties. For this reason, opening the factory packaging of cosmetic products without subsequent use is not recommended.

However, do not be afraid that natural compounds will deteriorate faster than the expiration date. When calculating cosmetic formulas, the manufacturer takes into account this factor, because of which the product can be used for several weeks after the expiration date.

Usage time for most cosmetics:

• shadows, powder, blush - 15-18 months;
• foundation - 12-18 months;
• mascara - 4-6 months;
• lipstick - up to 3 years;
• lip gloss - up to 2 years;
• pencils for lips, eyes - up to 3 years;
• nail polish - up to 2 years;
• cream - up to 2 years;
• lotion - up to 2 years;
• cosmetics for the shower - up to 5 years;
• perfume - no more than 5 years.

The main thing is to carefully read the information on the packaging. On one, the expiration date from the date of production of the goods can be indicated, on the other - from the moment of opening. The data provided regarding the period of use of cosmetics is valid if stored properly. Do not forget that all cosmetic products do not like heat and sun. For them, preferably a dark place with a maximum permissible air temperature of +25 degrees. If for some reason the cosmetic product has acquired a strange shade and an unpleasant odor, it should be discarded.

If you constantly use mascara or your favorite lip balm, you should regularly check the bottom of the containers. If the makeup is over, it is better to throw out the bottle or tube. Residues on the walls after the expiration date lose their properties and begin to negatively affect the skin. For example, expired mascara provokes the appearance of allergies, dermatitis, conjunctivitis.

In the next video you will find additional information about the expiration date of cosmetics.