Does Lotion Expire?

If you’re doing some cleaning of your skin care products and come across old lotions, you might be wondering if they’re still worth keeping or not – does lotion expire? The answer is yes, like all skin care products, lotion does expire and will lose its effectiveness over time. However, the answers to how long it lasts and how to keep it from going bad quickly are a little more in-depth.

Most skin care products are tested with a two-year shelf life when unopened and stored properly. However, as soon as you open a moisturizer, the clock starts ticking, so to speak. The exact length of time that lotions, body creams, body butters, and other moisturizing products will last depends on a number of factors, though.

Many moisturizers are packaged in jars, so you have to dip your fingers into the product in order to use them. These types of lotions will go bad more quickly than those in a pump-style container because your hands introduce bacteria to the product with every use. For this reason, I recommend using lotions and moisturizers in jars within two months of opening them.

To help minimize the amount of bacteria that gets into the jar, you can use a clean utensil or special skin care scoop instead of your fingers. Or, wash your hands before each use.

Lotions and body creams that are exposed to high temperatures, humidity, or sunlight can break down more quickly and/or grow mold or yeast. Therefore, you should always store these products in a cool, dry place away from windows to prolong their shelf life and make sure that mold doesn’t grow. Do not store lotions or other skin care products in the shower, since it gets very hot and humid.

The specific ingredients that are in your body cream or face lotion will also affect its expiration date. For example, the fatty acids in barrier repair moisturizers can go rancid over time, rendering the product ineffective. This will occur even if the moisturizer is unopened, so I recommend getting rid of unopened moisturizers after two years, or store them in the refrigerator to help prolong their shelf life.

Eye creams and other anti-aging moisturizers that contain active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide, and others can go bad faster than regular lotions. As a general rule of thumb, I recommend using retinol-containing products within two months after opening and using vitamin C products within four months after opening.

While all lotions and other skin care products will eventually expire no matter what you do, there are some tips you can follow to help stretch their longevity further.

• Store lotions in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.

• Use clean hands or a utensil to get moisturizer out of a jar.

• Do not remove the seal until you are ready to begin using. Most lotions will last longer if left unopened.

• Only buy from reputable sources, as manufacturing and packaging can also affect shelf life.

Some products, such as sunscreens, will have an expiration date stamped on the bottle, so check for this first. If it is past the expiration date, the product is expired. However, the FDA does not require that all skin care products have an expiration date printed on the package. So if you do not see an expiration date, here are a few ways to tell if your moisturizer or lotion has gone bad:

• There is an off or unusual smell.

• The consistency or texture has changed.

• The color has changed.

• The ingredients have separated.

• There are visible specks or mold in the product.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s best to toss out the product and replace it with a new one.

While using expired lotion isn’t likely to cause any harm, it also might not do much good if its ingredients have degraded. It is possible for contact dermatitis to occur when using expired skin care products, however, especially if bacteria or mold are present. So if you are unsure about whether or not your lotion is still good, it’s better to just replace it.

If you are looking to replace your body cream or moisturizer, here are a few of our favorite creams for dry skin to try:

Like all skin care products, lotion does expire. Some products can last longer than others, and this will depend on the type of container they are in, how they are stored, and the active ingredients they contain. In general, any lotion or moisturizer that you’ve had for two years or more should be thrown out and replaced to ensure the effectiveness of your skin care routine.

1. Baumann L. Antiaging Ingredients in Ch. 37 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
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3. Lim, A. C., & Freeman, S. (2003). Allergic contact dermatitis to an expired moisturiser. Australasian journal of dermatology, 44(4), 291-294.
4. Skowron, K., Jakubicz, A., Budzynska, A., Kaczmarek, A., Grudlewska, K., Reslinski, A., & Gospodarek-Komkowska, E. (2017). Microbiological purity assessment of cosmetics used by one and several persons and cosmetics after their expiry date. Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny, 68(2).
5. Cho, H. Y., Lee, S., Baek, S. H., Choi, H. K., & Lee, Y. B. (2003). Stability Test for the Cream and Lotion Among the Cosmetic Foundations. Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation, 33(4), 293-298.