Can Baby Skin Care Products Expire?

Written by Carolyn Smarszcz, BSN, RN

Published on September 17, 2024

• Expired skin care products tend to have visible changes.
• Using old skin care products involves potential risks.
• Many skincare products are required to list expiration dates.
• Your favorite skin care product may have a longer shelf life than you think! 

Once a year or so, I make it a point to go through the cabinets in our bathroom. I’ve found more partially used bottles and tubes of goo and baby skincare products than I’d like to admit. 

At least once per cleaning session, I haul out the potentially expired products and wonder, “Can I still use this? Or do I need to toss it?”

You may wonder if baby skin care products expire or can safely be used indefinitely.

As it turns out, the adage “When in doubt, throw it out!” may have some merit regarding expiration dates and infant skincare products.

Signs That Baby Care Products Have Expired

Because skin care products contain inactive ingredients like glycerin or petroleum jelly, many parents think these creams and lotions never expire.

However, every product (even Twinkies or your favorite jeans) has a shelf life. 

Look for the following signs to determine if a baby skin care product has expired:

• Changes in texture (such as smooth creams become chunky)
• Alterations in product color (for example, white creams turn beige or have an orange tint)
• Changes in smell (rancid or foul odor)
• Separation of ingredients (although some separation can still be normal if unused for long periods)
• Visible mold or bacterial growth
• Packaging issues (holes, tears, or openings in an otherwise sealed package)

Risks of Using Expired Baby Skin Care Products

Many parents may use old skin care products for a variety of reasons. 

Original price paid, access or availability of a preferred product, and urgency (like discovering the only available sunscreen is the forgotten bottle in your car while driving to the beach) may tempt parents to use skin products that have long since expired.

Consider these potential risks the next time you’re tempted to use a questionable skin care product.

Skin Irritation or Allergic Reactions

Parents often choose commercial products to treat infant skin conditions like eczema, baby acne, or various other rashes or skin conditions.

In most cases, their child’s skin integrity (the ability of the skin to stay intact without open sores or cracks) has already been compromised. 

Using an old product to heal open wounds means that the bacteria and viruses present in an expired product or its packaging now have a port of entry into your baby’s body.

This increases the potential risk of causing further skin irritation, secondary infections¹1. Dib, R., & Kazzi, A. A.. Diaper Rash. Practice Essentials, Pathophysiology, Etiology. 2024. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/801222-overview?form=fpf, or even allergic reactions.

Decreased Effectiveness

Skin products and sunscreens contain active ingredients to help achieve their desired goals.

Time and improper storage (such as in a hot environment or direct sunlight) can break down these substances, causing skin products to lose effectiveness.

Experts from the Cleveland Clinic²2. Does Sunscreen Ever Expire? Cleveland Clinic. 2022. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-sunscreen-ever-expire remind parents that using old products, such as sunscreen, “actually means that the product will no longer protect you and increases your potential for sunburns, sun damage, and skin cancer.”

Risk of Bacterial or Fungal Infections

Did you know our hands typically host between 10,000 and 10 million bacteria³3. Handwashing 101. UofL Health | Louisville Hospital and Health Care System Serving Kentucky and Indiana. 2020. https://uoflhealth.org/articles/hand-washing-101 per hand?

Failing to wash your hands before applying products to your child’s skin spreads these organisms from your hands to their open wound areas. It also introduces bacteria to the product or packaging (e.g. opening or lid).

Once you’ve opened the product and left it unused for a while, the leftover bacteria and other germs now have an ideal environment to keep growing. 

Repeated use of compromised products reintroduces these harmful microbes to your child’s body with each application.

How to Check For Expiration Dates of Baby Products

When considering skincare products for your little one, it’s important to know if the item is considered a drug⁴4. Drugs@FDA glossary of terms. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2017. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/drugsfda-glossary-terms#D, a cosmetic⁵5. Cosmetics Labeling. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2022. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling, or both⁶6. Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2024. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap#Labeling.

The answer impacts the presence of expiration dates on the product in question.

According to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)⁷7. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2018. https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/laws-enforced-fda/federal-food-drug-and-cosmetic-act-fdc-act, cosmetics such as lotions or skin care products used to enhance one’s appearance are not required to print expiration dates or outline a specific shelf life on their packaging.

However, skincare products that treat a condition, such as diaper rash ointment, are considered a drug, and by federal law, must contain expiration date information.

Labeling Requirements on Packaging

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)⁸8. The Federal Register. The Office of the Federal Register. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-201#201.17 requires that expiration dates be clearly and consistently identified on drug product packaging.

Federal law also outlines strict labeling requirements⁹9. Summary of Cosmetics Labeling Requirements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2022. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-regulations/summary-cosmetics-labeling-requirements for cosmetic products, including clear identification of the product’s ingredients on the outside of the container.

Troubleshooting Expiration Dates

Can’t find an expiration date on your favorite baby skin care product?

Some products contain a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol¹⁰10. Núñez, N. S.. Let’s talk about labels! How the signs and symbols on your beauty and bathroom products can help you and our planet. The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association. 2022. https://www.ctpa.org.uk/blog/lets-talk-about-labels-how-the-signs-and-symbols-on-your-beauty-and-bathroom-products-can-help-you-and-our-planet-5857#:~:text=This%20looks%20like%20a%20pot,24%20months)%20or%20even%20longer. that shows the shelf life of a given item after it’s been opened.

A date of manufacture may also be present on the product or its packaging. While this information doesn’t provide an exact expiration date, it will allow you to gauge how long you’ve had that particular product and if it might have expired.

Contacting the product’s manufacturer or consulting a product database¹¹11. Check cosmetic expiry date tool – batch code checker – cosmetic calculator – check batch code of cosmetics. CheckExp.Com. https://checkexp.com to determine the expiration date of an item is also an option.

Shelf Lives of Common Baby Skin Care Products

Assuming that you’ve properly stored your little one’s skincare products and haven’t contaminated them through incorrect use, common products like lotions, creams, shampoos, and body washes are generally stable¹²12. Have a question. Johnson’s® Baby. https://www.johnsonsbaby.com/faq for three years from their date of manufacture.

For best results, baby skincare products should be switched out every year, or sooner if the product becomes contaminated or compromised.

While you may be tempted to use an expired skincare product on your little one, the potential risks of bacterial contamination and decreased effectiveness outweigh any convenience. It seems the adage is, indeed, true: “When in doubt, throw it out!”

References

1. Dib, R., & Kazzi, A. A. (2024, July 31). Diaper Rash. Practice Essentials, Pathophysiology, Etiology. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/801222-overview?form=fpf
2. Does Sunscreen Ever Expire? Cleveland Clinic. (2022, June 30). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-sunscreen-ever-expire
3. Handwashing 101. UofL Health | Louisville Hospital and Health Care System Serving Kentucky and Indiana. (2020, May 27). https://uoflhealth.org/articles/hand-washing-101
4. Drugs@FDA glossary of terms. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2017, November 14). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/drugsfda-glossary-terms#D
5. Cosmetics Labeling. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022, November 3). https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling
6. Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024, September 11). https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap#Labeling
7. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018, March 29). https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/laws-enforced-fda/federal-food-drug-and-cosmetic-act-fdc-act
8. The Federal Register. The Office of the Federal Register. (n.d.). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-201#201.17
9. Summary of Cosmetics Labeling Requirements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022, December 1). https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-regulations/summary-cosmetics-labeling-requirements
10. Núñez, N. S. (2022, February 15). Let’s talk about labels! How the signs and symbols on your beauty and bathroom products can help you and our planet. The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association. https://www.ctpa.org.uk/blog/lets-talk-about-labels-how-the-signs-and-symbols-on-your-beauty-and-bathroom-products-can-help-you-and-our-planet-5857#:~:text=This%20looks%20like%20a%20pot,24%20months)%20or%20even%20longer.
11. Check cosmetic expiry date tool – batch code checker – cosmetic calculator – check batch code of cosmetics. CheckExp.Com. (n.d.). https://checkexp.com
12. Have a question. Johnson’s® Baby. (n.d.). https://www.johnsonsbaby.com/faq

The information WonderBaby provides is not intended to be, and does not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Always consult with a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances.