• Rewards Room
    • You are here
    Home / Skin Care / Moisturisers / This viral hack tells you exactly how long your beauty products have been sitting on the shelf

    This viral hack tells you exactly how long your beauty products have been sitting on the shelf

    18 Nov 2020 4:20 PM | Posted by
    bh's Ruby Cotton's picture
    bh's Ruby Cotton
    Comment

    Jampacked with high-end dupes and cheapie hidden gems, chemist makeup aisles are any beauty lover's kryptonite. What was once a mundane in-and-out job has now become a much anticipated (sometimes hours long) shopping trip which typically ends covered in glitter swatches and half of our paychecks out the window. And that’s before we even reach the bargain bins.

    RELATED: How to revive dried-out cream eyeshadows

    RELATED: Here's where to donate your unneeded beauty products to those in need

    Overflowing with lipsticks and other beauty steals that have had their prices slashed for being ‘on the way out’, these pots of discounted gold are where makeup bargain hunters do some of their finest work. 

    But according to a video gone viral on TikTok, there’s a quick and simple way to ensure these products are actually just ‘on the way out’ and not well past their use by date. 

    By entering in the characters typically found on the bottom of any cosmetics product, otherwise known as the ‘batch code’ into the website Cosmetics Calculator, you will be given the time and location the product was made, as well as its exact shelf life. 

     

    Using this hack in his TikTok video, Cannon Rider discovers a moisturiser that was given a 36-month shelf life was still on sale almost a decade later: “This product is almost 10 years old and they’re trying to sell it to you, don’t get scammed,” he said. 

    So to avoid purchasing expired products, which not only lose their efficacy but can also lead to skin irritation and congestion, spend a few seconds examining their batch code. Because nobody needs to be taking home skin care as old as them.

    Main image credit: @roseinc

    Have you ever purchased an expired beauty product? Will you use this trick?

     

    You might also like

    We're totally stealing Rihanna's double contouring hack

    51 Comments

    The best beauty accounts to follow on TikTok

    49 Comments

    6 pro makeup tips every girl with oily skin should know

    92 Comments

    We tried the 'Sock Curls' hack from TikTok and here's what happened

    62 Comments

    44 Member Comments

    Jodes71 8 Dec 2020 12:23 AM

    Very interesting

    Hayley644 24 Nov 2020 9:19 PM

    Interesting article, might actually use this.

    Sally10 23 Nov 2020 7:47 PM

    What a good idea!

    Dance 23 Nov 2020 7:31 PM

    Ten years is a lot... although if I'm honest, there might be things lurking in my bathroom cabinet that are that old too.

    Angage 23 Nov 2020 9:52 AM

    This is great!

    elmorules 22 Nov 2020 9:35 PM

    Very interesting thanks.

    Shop A Everyday 22 Nov 2020 1:12 PM

    yes be wary of sites selling discounted products, like oz sale the products are so old

    Lawliet 22 Nov 2020 12:35 PM

    This is really handy! I probably wont use it...but it's a fantastic idea lol. I will only really throw out a product if it smells funny or no longer works for me.

    cityglenda 21 Nov 2020 8:39 PM

    Great idea but I wouldn't use it.

    bettina44 21 Nov 2020 5:42 PM

    Some things last for ages, if it doesn't have an expiry just an use after XX of opening, it should still be good?

    cityglenda 21 Nov 2020 8:37 PM

    I agree. If it smells weird I throw it out otherwise I keep using it. No use wasting my hard earnt $$$

    Miramarmari 21 Nov 2020 4:28 PM

    Very interesting and good to know

    sootyblack_14 21 Nov 2020 10:57 AM

    It's crazy this is happening... But what a great trick!!!

    Wn0873 21 Nov 2020 8:40 AM

    Wow, I just assumed stuff would be being sold within its 'best' dates.

    Chrystalage 20 Nov 2020 10:48 PM

    Good to know. Though expiry date regs may vary according to the country of manufacture. I bought some makeup a few years ago that had a very short UB date because of where it was made but if made in OZ would have had a longer UB date.

    S-P 20 Nov 2020 8:52 PM

    This is so good to know because so many products tell you how long you have to use it once opened, e.g. 12 months, 24 months etc, but they don't actually have any dates on them.

    Susmat 20 Nov 2020 8:32 PM

    Very interesting- and useful too

    Jacinta89 20 Nov 2020 8:07 PM

    Interesting, there is an app for everything now!

    IndieAna 20 Nov 2020 7:13 PM

    Interesting! I love this tip!

    ray_jay 20 Nov 2020 3:30 PM

    This is great

    Shali_Nialler 19 Nov 2020 8:06 PM

    omg great tip! How amazing technology is nowadays!

    Peta908 19 Nov 2020 4:32 PM

    The beauty of technology! Great idea

    misfortune8 19 Nov 2020 4:24 PM

    You don't want to use expired skincare! Great tip, thanks!

    jupiter 19 Nov 2020 2:21 PM

    There are a few websites for that, been using them for a while now. Not all brands supported though.

    http://www.checkfresh.com/ http://checkcosmetic.net/ https://cosmetic.momoko.hk/

    Ethelinde 19 Nov 2020 2:01 PM

    I should really bookmark this. I saw an article a while about this and totally forgot. Thanks for the reminder, BH!

    Pages

    You need to log in or become a member to post a comment.
    TOP