How Long Can I Store a Shower Gel?

European legislation requires cosmetics manufacturers to put an expiration date on the packaging of the products they sell. Thus, each beauty product must have an expiration date, which can be identified by a symbol representing an open jar of cream accompanied by a number. This date must be monitored, even for shower gels. In fact, this date corresponds to the time until which you can use a cosmetic without risk to your health and without losing its initial properties. For shower gels, the shelf life varies from 24 to 36 months. If you exceed this time limit, it is best to throw it away.

Indeed, using an expired cosmetic product is not necessarily safe. Over time, there may be chemical reactions in the product that can lead to changes in appearance such as color, odor, decrease in pH, changes in viscosity, texture, etc... Even though the cosmetic product technically continues to be functional, it no longer has the same benefits as when first used. Moreover, it can become a real nest for bacteria. As a result, their sensory aspects such as touch, absorption, smell and color change and evolve. Faced with such changes, it is better to avoid taking risks and only one solution is offered to you: throw away your expired product.

To summarize, once the expiration date has passed, it is recommended not to continue using the expired beauty product. Of course, if you exceed the shelf life of a cosmetic by a few weeks, it may only have lost its effectiveness, but it is better not to take any risks. Indeed, there are damaging consequences to applying an expired product directly to the skin, such as redness, itching, skin inflammation, rash, etc... This is why it is important to keep a close eye on these cosmetics. In addition, to optimize the life of a shower gel or any other cosmetic product, it is enough to adopt some simple steps:

• Always close the bottle properly after each use to avoid letting bacteria proliferate.

• Do not store your skin care products behind the bathroom window to avoid the sun's UV rays to attack them.

• Avoid storing your care product in a humid room or a room that is subject to daily temperature variations, such as the bathroom. Such an environment alters the skin care product and encourages the development of bacteria and mold.

• Keep your shower gel and any other product in a dry place at room temperature, away from light and heat.