How much do you spend on skincare during the average year? According to a Statista surveyin 2018, 1.6 million U.S. consumers spend more than $500 on skincare products every 90 days. Skincare is an investment and keeping products fresh doesn’t require much in the way of effort. But many things can cause them to degrade and lose their potency, so here are some tips to help ensure those precious products remain good to the last drop.
#1 – Keep Them Sun Safe
Those gorgeous bottles just beckon to be seen, but sunlight can quickly zap your favorite product. Resist the urge to display your collection on the counter. Instead, store it into a cool, dark location. Tip: Each time you remove your “precious” from its hiding place, imagine that you’re holding pure gold in the palm of your hand … then put it back.
#2 – Use Sanitary Spatulas with Jar Products
Despite their beauty, jars with wide-mouth openings don’t always do the best job of keeping things sanitary. Avoid dipping your fingers into that night cream. Grab a clean spatula (or even an unused popsicle stick) and scoop out the product you need. This will prevent germs on your hands from taking up residence in your beloved cream.
#3 – Mark Your Bottles
Have you even seen a little symbol on the bottom of a jar that includes a number like this: “12M”? If so, that cryptic tidbit of information is actually the recommended time frame for using up the contents. If you open a jar on October 31st, then “12M” means you should finish up the contents or discard the product within 12 months. Tip: Stick a label on the bottom with the exact discard date, so you won’t be tempted to keep using the product after it has expired.
#4 – Buy Skincare Products in Airless Pumps
No matter how careful you are, products can still suffer from air exposure. Airless pump bottles prevent this from happening by continuously raising the bottom of the bottle as product is dispensed. What if your favorite product doesn’t have an airless pump? You can buy these bottles online and transfer your products into them at home.
#5 – Don’t Store Your Skincare in the Bathroom
This one probably sounds crazy, but the temperature in your bathroom may not be ideal for your skincare. Sun, steam, and heat may, in fact, degrade your products despite all of your best efforts. If your powder room has your skincare sweating, simply keep your goodies in a small tote in a cooler location. You can bring it with you into the bathroom and take it someplace safer when you’re done. Tip: If your bedroom stays mild and doesn’t get a lot of sun, store those pretty bottles on the dresser. That way, you’ll enjoy the decoration without increasing the possibility of unwanted side effects.
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Accidents happen, and even products that are well cared for can go bad without warning. If you’ve done everything possible to protect them but something still seems off, the best bet is to toss them. Never risk an infection by using an expired product. After all, you only have one face.
To your skin health,
Team Reflect
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