Is it Time to Spring Clean Your Acne Products?
The warm spring weather is often a signal for people to clean out their closets. Your skin care wardrobe should be no different. To ensure maximum efficacy of your products, especially where acne products are concerned, it’s important to keep up to date on their shelf lives. Here, our quick guide to when you should toss your acne skin care products and how to properly store them:
- Products containing salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and sulfur usually last up to 12 months. Be sure to label your products when you buy them with the date, so you know when to toss.
- Store your products in a cool, dry place. We often keep skin care products in the bathroom, but the heat and humidity may affect the product’s ability to perform properly. Our advice? Keep it in the bedroom, on a shelf that’s far enough above ground that children will not be able to reach it.
- With most prescription acne medications, the expiration date is usually two months after opening the tube or bottle. Be sure to check with your dermatologist on this.