There are a variety of harmful chemicals used in the production of beauty products.1 When thinking about your makeup and other skin and hair care choices, it is also important to make note of the expiration date. It is easy to get lazy and keep using old mascara rather than going out and buying a new and fresh bottle. However, when these products get old and pass their expiration date, they become a host for harmful bacteria.2 Luckily, we now have easy solutions to greening our cosmetics, benefiting our personal health and the environment at the same time!
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Organic products are made with very little or no chemicals. Therefore, by making the choice to use organic beauty products, you are helping cut down the release of toxins into the environment.
BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH: When choosing which makeup line, skin care product, nail product, or hair product to use, it is important to know that you may not only be harming the environment with your choices, but also your own health. These products are not regulated by the FDA, seeing as they are not considered edible products. People who use makeup everyday apparently average out to absorbing about 5 pounds of chemicals per year.3 And do you check to see whether or not your beauty products have expired. If not, then think about how many harmful bacteria are growing and reproducing in your old makeup… yikes!
Cost: Moderate
Clearly, when disposing of expired products, and replacing them with new fresh products, you will be spending more money than if you were to finish out the whole old mascara vile, lipstick, perfume, eyeliner, etc.. Yet if you continue to use expired products may be putting your health at risk, and on a more vain note, you will be more apt to develop skin infections, acne, allergic reactions (i.e. rashes and redness), eye infections, and possible skin discoloration.4 You can always make your own products which is extremely friendly on your wallet!
Time and Effort: Moderate
Yes, in all honesty, it may take a bit more time and effort to go through your makeup bag, check your products, and dispose of your favorite items that have just expired. However, it is well worth keeping yourself healthy and bacteria free!
Step 1
Go through your makeup and see which products you need to dispose of once past expiration. Here is a little cheat sheet for how knowing how long you have to use your products. The time starts from the time you open the product.
| Mascara | 3-6 Months |
| Blusher | 12-18 Months |
| Lipstick | 18 Months |
| Tinted Moisturizer | 12 Months |
| Foundation | 6 Months |
| Eye Shadow | 12 Months |
| Liquid Eyeliner | 3-6 Months |
| Eye Pencil | 24 Months |
| Shampoo | 24 Months |
| Shower Gel | 24 Months |
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Also, make sure to clean your brushes! You should be washing your brushes and sponges every 2-3 months, for they can also carry harmful bacteria if not cleaned regularly.
Step 2
Look at ingredients in the products themselves. Sometimes organic skin and hair care items may contain real fruits, so it may expire in as little as 4 weeks. In addition to making sure that your beautifying and hygiene products are still within a healthy time frame to use, you may want to also check out the chemicals used in your products. Here is a great and helpful link for your investigation: ewg.org/skindeep.
Step 3
Time to get some new concealer and/or foundation? I know that we all want to cover up our tiny blemishes, so if you feel you really need these products, try to find products made with very little or no chemicals so that you are protecting yourself as well as the environment. Here is a great link for tons of eco-friendly concealer/foundation brands:
goodguide.com.
Step 4
makeuporganic.orgIf you are trying to look for organic makeup products, there are different labels out there, but look for the label “USDA Organic” because as it is one of the most trustworthy labels regulating ingredients found in food and some cosmetics. The label can only be applied to products that contain agricultural products, as these are the only terms to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates and enforces standards for.6 The problem is that there really is no regulation of ingredients used in beauty products that are not “agricultural” and thus you mainly need to look at the list of ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to avoid products that list ingredients that sound like they were made in a science lab—stick to products with ingredients you know. For a more thorough set of guidelines to follow when looking for chemical-free beauty products, read this Green America article . This article also has links to many natural beauty care companies, so check it out before you go to the store!
Step 5
If you are interested in making your own organic cosmetics and hair care products at home, check out these Greeniacs Guides:
