Does Body Wash Expire?
You know the shower gels, lotions, and bath bombs that tend to pile up in the backs of our bathroom cupboards?
It’s always an adventure to peek in there and see what “new” product you can rediscover that you have forgotten about.
So, you pull out a body wash and realize, by the layer of dust collected on it, that it has probably sat there for months. Maybe even years.
You start to wonder, can you still use it? Has it gone bad?
Does body wash expire?
The short answer is yes, body wash does expire. However, you might still be able to use it, depending on the type of body wash, its ingredients, and how long it sat in the depths of your bathroom cabinet.
We did some digging to figure out how long body washes last before they expire and what happens if you use them after their expiration date.
Body Wash Expiration Date
How quickly does body wash expire? There is no easy way to answer that question, as it depends on the type of body wash and the conditions under which it has been stored.
Depending on the type of product, some ingredients may expire more quickly than others.
The way you store your products also matters — has it been opened? Was it kept in a cool, dry environment, or in a place with frequent temperature changes?
Unopened Body Wash
Reaching into the back of your bathroom shelf to retrieve an unopened, fully sealed body wash is the best-case scenario.
Most commercially available shower gels and body washes are good for 3 years if unopened.
Of course, this can vary depending on the ingredients and storage conditions (which we will discuss later).
But chances are, if your product sits unopened for a few years, you can still use it without noticing any ill effects.
Opened Body Wash
If your product has been previously opened, its expiration process began the day the seal was broken.
Once you open it, all sorts of things can get in — from bacteria to mold.
Even then, most products can be safely used for a year or so after opening, especially if they have a pump and cap.
Your best bet is to remember when it was opened and look on the packaging for the Period After Opening (PAO) label.
This label is usually found at the bottom of the container and looks like a small cream jar with numbers and letters. It will say something like 12M (12 months) or 2Y (2 years).
This is a good guide for estimating how long you can use the product after opening. If it has been much longer than the PAO recommendation, the product has most likely expired.
But remember, the PAO is just an estimate. The product isn’t good one day and then suddenly ruined the next.
Use your common sense and pay attention to how it looks and smells to decide whether it’s still ok to use.
Expiration Date
Does body wash packaging list an expiration date like packaged food products? Unfortunately, no.
The FDA doesn’t require beauty products to list an expiration or manufacturing date, so most don’t.
Although some brands volunteer that information, the vast majority of companies stick to the PAO label, which is a little more ambiguous than an actual expiration date.
Natural Ingredients
Some homemade or natural products can have shorter timelines than conventional body washes.
While we all love a product made with essential oils, herbs, and flowers, it is likely to spoil more quickly.
Pay extra attention if your body wash says “no preservatives,” “no parabens,” and “organic,” because it usually means the product doesn’t contain ingredients that help stabilize it for a long shelf-life.
Unopened, these products can still last about 12 months; however, once opened, the expiration process occurs very quickly, usually within 6–12 months.
Some carrier oils degrade within 6 months, while some essential oils have antimicrobial properties, so they could last longer.
Depending on the ingredients in your body wash, it can be hard to estimate how long it will last once it’s opened. There is too much variability in natural ingredients.
Your best bet is to look for the PAO label, just like you would with other products.
If your natural body wash is handcrafted or purchased from a small local business, it may not have any labels.
In that case, do a sniff test and throw it out if you’re still unsure. Better safe than sorry.
Storage Conditions
In addition to reviewing the PAO labels to estimate the expiration date, note the conditions under which the body wash was stored.
For best results, body wash should be kept in a cool, dry environment, around 10 degrees below normal room temperature.
If your products were stored in a hot, humid bathroom, they might degrade more quickly.
If they were kept in a garage or a basement with no heat, this can also speed up the breakdown of ingredients.
Any extreme temperature changes can also be detrimental to the integrity of the product.
Be extra mindful if you think your body wash was stored in a less-than-ideal environment, and factor that in when deciding whether to use it.
Even if it is technically within the PAO date.
How To Tell If Your Body Wash Has Expired
Whenever you’re unsure whether a product has gone bad, crack it open. Give it a good sniff test and pay attention to its appearance.
Scent
One of the first signs of expiration is the smell. Some body wash products, especially natural ones, will develop a rancid smell that you should be able to recognize immediately.
This is a red flag. If it smells funky, it’s best to throw it out.
If the body wash smells different from what it should, even if it’s not a “bad” smell, you should probably throw it out, too.
Any major changes to the scent indicate that something has gone bad.
Texture
Another sign to look for is product texture. If you notice that the body wash has begun to separate into layers or looks “curdled,” it may be going bad.
But this doesn’t automatically mean the product needs to be thrown out. With some natural products, separation is normal.
Natural products may contain ingredients that settle to the bottom.
Those products can still be used, provided that they don’t show other signs of expiration.
Some natural products even note on the packaging that ingredient separation may occur.
That said, if it’s a conventional (non-preservative-free) body wash, curdling is definitely a bad sign.
Since the preservatives in conventional body washes are designed to prevent it as long as the product is usable.
Discoloration
Lastly, pay attention to any signs of mold. If you see dark specks in the body wash or other oddly colored growth, this is definitely a sign that the body wash has seen better days.
We don’t need to tell you this, but please don’t use any products that may contain mold.
What Happens If You Use Expired Body Wash
Using expired body wash can be unsafe and ineffective. It can also be perfectly fine. Depending on how long it has been expired, you might notice different effects.
An expired body wash will exhibit physical signs of degradation, such as changes in smell, color, and consistency.
This can make your shower experience a little less … pleasant.
In addition to those changes, the expired body wash can also be ineffective, as it won’t lather or clean your body as well.
The main ingredients in body washes are surfactants — the stuff that breaks down oils and dirt and allows them to be rinsed away with water.
If the surfactants are past their prime, you will notice the body wash barely creates foam and won’t lather.
This is how you know it’s no longer doing its main job at keeping you clean.
If the product has been contaminated with bacteria or mold, the body wash can actually harm you. It can cause skin irritation, rashes, and breakouts.
The opposite of what you’re going for when you take a shower.
When you notice something like this after taking a shower, it’s a safe bet that some of your products may have expired and need to be tossed ASAP.
Keep in mind that these are just some of the scarier consequences of using expired body wash.
A lot of times, if the product hasn’t been out too long or contains a lot of strong preservatives, you might not notice a difference at all.
After all, expiration dates are just estimates from the manufacturer, not hard-and-fast rules.
Is It Safe To Use Expired Body Wash?
Expired body wash may still be safe to use, as long as the ingredients haven’t gone bad and become harmful or ineffective.
Body wash that has expired for several years, has a weird texture, and smells funky is likely unsafe to use on your skin.
But a product that has been on your shelf a few months too long, is still unopened, and smells right, is probably still good.
If you are not sure, it’s best to be extra cautious and throw it away.
You could also do a patch test on your skin — put a small swab somewhere on your skin and check on it after a few hours to see if any weird symptoms arise.
But we’re not sure if it’s worth the trouble.
Instead, you can reach back into that cupboard and find another unopened body wash that hasn’t been there quite as long (hopefully).
How To Keep Body Wash From Expiring
Here are some tips you can use going forward to keep your body washes, lotions, and creams from expiring.
Keep Track of Open Dates
Use a Sharpie to note the date you opened your products directly on the packaging. This is a great rule to follow for anything, not just bathroom products.
It will save you a lot of headache down the road trying to figure out if that body wash — or that ketchup — is still safe to use.
Organize
Organize your bathroom storage so the oldest products are in the front and the newest in the back.
This will help you reduce waste and stay on top of expiration dates by using up the oldest bottles first.
As you’re doing this, take it as an opportunity to check expiration dates and PAO labels, and throw away anything that is beyond saving.
Doing this every six months or so will help you ensure all products get used up and none go bad.
Conditions
Try to keep all extra body washes, shower gels, and shampoos in a cool, dry place.
If your bathroom doesn’t have a strong vent, consider moving these products to another area of your home.
The ideal environment for shower gels, body washes, and shampoos is a dark, cool (10 degrees below normal room temperature) space with no extreme temperature changes or direct sunlight.
Make sure no water gets into your body wash, as this is the primary factor that leads to mold.
This means you shouldn’t keep any open products in the shower if you don’t plan to use them very often.
This may seem like a hassle, but you can use a shower caddy for products that you don’t use often, and use it to bring them in and out of the humid environment.
This will help extend their lifespan and keep them mold-free so that you can use them safely.
This, of course, isn’t very practical for things you use daily, like body wash, but it might come in handy for other products that you use more sparingly (body scrubs, we’re looking at you).
If a shower caddy is not an option, just be extra vigilant and take regular inventory of the products you keep in your shower.
If they don’t pass the sniff test, maybe it’s time for them to go.
Final Thoughts
Body wash can expire, but it may still be safe to use as long as the ingredients are continuing to do their job properly.
It’s important to pay attention to all signs of expiration, from labels to how your body wash looks, smells, and behaves, to assess whether you should use it.
Being more organized, keeping track of open dates, and using the oldest products first can also help you encounter fewer expired products overall.
The information in this article is a great starting point for you.
Most of the time, using slightly expired soaps and body gels is not a big deal and won’t harm you. Occasionally, it can irritate your skin.
Thankfully, there are plenty of clear signs of expiration you can look for to prevent mishaps.
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