Still hanging on to that SPF from a few years ago? It may be doing more harm than good! Here's everything you need to know about the shelf life of your skin care products ✨

Just like food, skin care products also expire.

As soon as you open a new skin care product, it is exposed to air, light
and temperature changes that affect its formulation. Using skin care products past their expiration can lead to loss of efficacy, and most importantly skin
irritation. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your skin, so if
you suspect that a product has gone bad, throw it out.

Just like food, skin care products also expire.

As soon as you open a new skin care product, it is exposed to air, light
and temperature changes that affect its formulation. Using skin care products past their expiration can lead to loss of efficacy, and most importantly skin
irritation. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your skin, so if
you suspect that a product has gone bad, throw it out.

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The "PAO symbol" is commonly included on all skin care and beauty products.

PAO stands for "period after opening" and it indicates the number of months you have from opening the item before it expires and starts to degrade.
6M = 6 months after opening

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Products generally last anywhere from 6, 12, 24, or even 36 months depending on its active ingredients.

Over-the-counter products like
sunscreens, acne treatments and retinol will usually have an expiration date listed on the packaging itself in addition to the PAO symbol.

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If a product that has changed color from when you first purchased it (with the exception of exfoliants as this is common), has changed in texture (watery,
separated), developed a strange odor, or feels different on the skin upon
application, these are all clear signs this product should be tossed