According to general makeup hygiene rules, you’re supposed to toss your old mascara out after six months — keeping makeup past its expiration date or neglecting to regularly bathe your beauty tools is a recipe for bacteria and other nasties. The internet is not convinced that’s necessary, but what do the experts have to say?
According to a post on Reddit’s Makeup Addiction thread, old mascara might not actually be the bacteria farm we imagine it to be. User Semicolon_Expected posted a photo of a 5-year-old tube of Maybelline’s limited edition Blink of Blue Great Lash Mascara along side a petri dish where the vintage formula had been swabbed. A series of what appear to be microbiologists then weighed in in the comments, saying the bacterial growth we’re seeing really isn’t all that bad —especially considering the tube has been around since the advent of the accent nail.
The reason for the surprisingly clean swab is likely the low water content of mascara, reports New Beauty. “I'm not surprised by this at all,” cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson told the outlet. “Mascara has a very low water content, and what water does exist is preserved.”
So does this mean it’s safe to hold on to your limited edition favorites for years? We asked Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, for his take.
“Generally speaking, if you are regularly using your mascara it should be replaced every three to six months,” he told Allure. “While the water content in mascara is low, making the risk of bacterial contamination low, you should still exercise caution on any product applied around the eye area.” The issue is that dirt, oil and bacteria can easily accumulate around your eyes and hitch a ride onto your mascara wand — not really a risk you want to take with a product that's applied to a sensitive area.
“If the mascara does not look, feel, or smell the way it did when you bought it, or if you've used it after having an eye infection, discard the mascara even if it is before the three to six month recommendation,” Zeichner says.
The bottom line, pay attention to your makeup formulas. If anything seems funky, toss it — no matter how old it is.
For more makeup hygiene habits:
- These Pictures of Dirty Makeup Brushes Will Make You Run to Wash Yours
- How to Clean a Beauty Blender With What’s Already In Your Kitchen
- Used Makeup Is Apparently All the Rage—And It’s Gross
