Doctor warns of infections for anyone using certain beauty products (2025)

A doctor shared how to correctly store your beauty products and how to recognise if they're expired

A doctor has shared the health issues anyone using expired beauty products may face. For many, keeping an eye on the expiry date of your skincare or makeup products can slip your mind, but according to an expert this could put you at risk.

Research by Roseland Furniture discovered that Brits often have surplus items and clutter laying about their homes - and much of this includes cosmetics and toiletries. While some may think using an item you've rediscovered during a clear out is fine, a doctor is warning against it.

Dr Sweta Rai, a Doctify rated dermatologist, shared the hygiene and health risks you may face when using expired toiletries or beauty products. She claims that not only will the product not work as intended due to ingredients breaking down, anyone using the item could be at risk of infection, too.

She said: "Expired beauty products have the risk of often being less efficacious. Some creams can have their active ingredients broken down and interact with other actives which are broken down producing an irritant effect on the skin. As products age their colour, consistency and smell may become suboptimal."

The doctor added: "Beauty products which have been left open or exposed to moisture or heat can have bacterial/infection risk and therefore these should be avoided. Many toiletries and beauty products which have expired may have an altered smell, grainy consistency and less effectiveness on the skin."

The doctor claimed that some ingredients in particular can be more harmful than others when they're used after they have expired. These include Benzene, Benzophenones, acrylates, formaldehyde, carbon black, hydroquinone and more.

She added: "Benzene is a known carcinogen and ethanol amine when broken down can produce nitrosamines which may be carcinogenic. Most chemical compounds lose their strength/bioavailability if they are past their best before date and they are not 'dangerous' per se however some chemicals are degradation products of the active agent and these can be harmful."

The expert claims that storing these items incorrectly can also lead to issues. For example, the doctor said that products containing vitamin C can actually be deactivated if left in direct sunlight.

She added that many high strength active ingredients such as hydroquinone, niacinamide may also be affected by direct heat or light. Her advice is to keep beauty products in a cool, dry area of your home.

This is because "moisture and heat can cause bacterial growth and deactivation of the strength of the product or formation harmful by-products when many actives are mixed together respectively," according to Dr Rai.

She also adds that cosmetics, including sunscreens, contain chemicals mixed to remain 'stable compounds' for a certain period of time - their 'shelf life.' Therefore when the shelf life is exceeded the chemicals in the products may behave in an undesired manner - this can be avoided by using products within their valid shelf life.