How dangerous is it to use expired products? What are the dangers of expired products.

Imagine this situation: feeling brutally hungry, you look into the refrigerator in search of something to eat. And - oh, a miracle! - You find a package of ham there. But, looking at the expiration date, you understand that it expired a couple of weeks ago, and indeed appearance The product does not inspire any confidence.

Of course, everyone understands that the place for such a product is in the trash can.

But for some reason, when it comes to cosmetics, common sense cheats on women. How can you throw away Bourjois mascara or L’Oreal lipstick when so much money has been spent on it! Moreover, the expiration date came out quite recently, some 5-6 months ago, and there are no signs of corruption. Unless an unpleasant smell appeared, but these are such trifles! Almost half of Russian women think this way or something like this. Why are our beauties there, even in civilized Europe, every second representative of the fair sex ignores the expiration dates of cosmetics.

What is the danger of expired cosmetics?

Eating food that has already passed its expiration date is fraught with disastrous consequences. Similarly, expired cosmetics can cause significant damage to your health. Most often, the consequences of using expired cosmetics are various allergic reactions, conjunctivitis, dermatitis and acne.

American dermatologists have found that an expired cream, lipstick or foundation can become a source of dangerous infectious diseases. When cosmetics are past their expiration date, they become an excellent breeding ground for various bacteria, which sometimes show resistance to most antibiotics. If pathogens enter the bloodstream through the epidermis, a dangerous infection can develop, which in some cases ends in death. Moreover, such cases are becoming more and more frequent.

Of particular danger are expired eye makeup products - mascara, liquid eyeliners, shadows. Their use contributes to the development of conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis. In liquid tonal products, powder and lipstick, staphylococcus aureus can start over time, and expired powder often becomes a breeding ground for micromites that cause seborrheic dermatitis.

How to find out the expiration date of cosmetics?

The expiration date of cosmetics is set by the manufacturer. According to the new regulations introduced in the EU countries, the manufacturer is obliged to provide the buyer with all the necessary information about the release date and shelf life of the product, including from the moment it was opened. Yet most cosmetic companies, primarily manufacturers of natural, organic and mineral cosmetics, indicate the expiration date on the packaging. For example, the expiration date of Yves Rocher cosmetics is clearly and understandably indicated on the packaging (see illustration).

But often this data is provided in an encrypted form, which is understandable only to specialists, but does not tell the average consumer anything. Moreover, the problem is that each manufacturer has its own options for compiling these codes. There are two types of special markings: one of them indicates the date of manufacture of the product, batch number, product series, the other contains information about the end date of its use. How to decipher the expiration date of cosmetics? The date of manufacture is usually deciphered as follows: the first 2 digits or letters indicate the year of manufacture, and the next - the day and month or day from the beginning of the year.

The expiration date of the funds is mandatory indicated only if it does not exceed 30 months. For example, the standard shelf life of Korean cosmetics is 3 years. Therefore, manufacturers of Korean cosmetics usually indicate on products only the date of production in the format year-month-day.

Please note: the shelf life of cosmetics is provided for products that have not yet been opened. Once you start using it, the shelf life of a face cream, lipstick, mascara or lotion is drastically reduced. In this case, you can check the expiration date of cosmetics using the second code: try to find a special sign made in the form of a bottle with open lid, next to which the period of use of products from the moment of opening is indicated. If not, refer to the tables below, suitable for most cosmetics.

Table of approximate expiration dates for various types of cosmetics

Is it possible to determine the expiration date of cosmetics by a barcode?

How to determine the expiration date of cosmetics is a question that women who are worried about their health are concerned about. Unfortunately, many of them use false information for this purpose. For example, there is a widespread misconception that the shelf life of cosmetics can be found on the barcode. Remember: you cannot determine the expiration date by the barcode!

In fact, it contains completely different information. First of all - about the country of manufacture of products (this allows you to confirm or deny the authenticity of cosmetics). In addition, by the barcode, you can determine the manufacturer, the name of the product. Typically, these data are used to account for manufactured and sold products.

Shelf life of natural and organic cosmetics

If conventional cosmetics contain a large amount of synthetic preservatives that can increase the shelf life of products, then in the composition natural cosmetics they are not present at all, or they are present in a minimal amount. Instead of the usual parabens, manufacturers of natural cosmetics use natural preservatives - propolis, chamomile inflorescences, fruits containing benzoic acid, extracts from birch and bird cherry leaves.

For this reason, the shelf life of natural cosmetics is much shorter than that of conventional cosmetics, on average, about 6 months. The absence of chemical preservatives contributes to a more active reproduction of dangerous microorganisms. The more in the composition of a cosmetic product natural ingredients, the faster it should be used.

There is a misconception that if there is no chemistry in organic cosmetics, then after the expiration date no harmful chemical compounds are formed, and cosmetics will only lose part useful properties. This is complete nonsense! Firstly, you will not find cosmetics without chemicals at all, and secondly, bacteria, yeasts, fungi and micromites are dangerous in expired creams and bases, which in the natural environment feel much better than in alcohol or petroleum products.

How to store cosmetics?

Tell me where you keep your makeup and I'll tell you how likely it is to be spoiled. From the moment when the cosmetic comes into the hands of the buyer, the shelf life of cosmetics depends, first of all, on how well you know how to properly store cosmetics. Each woman has her own ideas for storing cosmetics: some allocate drawers of a dressing table or chest of drawers for this purpose, standing near the battery, others are sure that the best place for storing cosmetics at home - a refrigerator, others do not think about it seriously at all, laying out jars of cream, lipstick and mascara, where necessary.

Where can cosmetics be stored? Natural cosmetics are best stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. For cosmetics with chemical preservatives, a closed shelf or drawer in a closet is suitable, provided that the furniture is away from heat sources. The worst idea is to store cosmetics in the bathroom, in conditions of high humidity, which adversely affects the quality of any cosmetics.

The following factors negatively affect the quality of cosmetics:

• sudden changes in temperature,
• Impact direct sun rays,
• High humidity,
• Elevated temperature.

Please note that dispenser bottles provide the most reliable safety, since they exclude direct contact of the skin of the hands with the contents of the package. Cream from a jar with a wide neck is best applied with a special spatula, which is recommended to be washed after each use. After use, close the packaging tightly, minimizing the contact of cosmetics with air.

Conclusion

By knowing how to determine the expiration date and where to store cosmetics, you can minimize the chances of using expired and unhealthy products. And yet, carefully monitor the state of cosmetics. Without regret, throw even the most expensive lipstick or mascara into the trash if you notice changes in consistency, color or smell that have alerted you.

In addition, try not to buy cosmetics for the future, but on open tubes and bottles put the date when you started using them. This will help you better understand the shelf life of these perishable products.

If you still have any questions about the expiration date and proper storage cosmetics see related video.

Do you eat expired food? Your answer is obvious: of course not! But we dare to assure you, there is little objectivity in it. According to studies, the average Russian daily eats expired dairy products, meat, fish, cereals and chocolate.

Products are already rotten in home refrigerator. We store them incorrectly.

We all pay attention to the expiration dates of the goods and will not buy spoiled, stale bread and stale sausage. But as soon as the purchased products enter the house, our vigilance disappears, as if they are not threatened with damage in the walls of our own refrigerator. We forget about the terms and rules of their storage, boldly eat a loaf, after cutting off the crust touched by mold from it. We eat sausages covered with a slippery coating, washing them under running water, use sour milk to make pancakes and do not think about the fact that these products can be deadly to health.

Milk is the most dangerous product!
Every housewife knows that milk spoils quickly. Many people think that sour milk can be used for food, that it is even good for health. In fact, milk is an ideal nutrient medium not only for lacto and bifidobacteria, "responsible" for the formation of nutritious yogurt, various microbes multiply rapidly in milk, including E. coli, staphylococci, which can cause toxic infection and dysbacteriosis.

The shelf life of pasteurized milk is 3 days. If it is not used during this time, pour it into a jar and ferment it with kefir, sour cream or other fermented milk product containing beneficial lactic acid bacteria.

Fermented milk products should be used within 36 hours, sour cream within 3 days, cottage cheese and products made from it within 36 hours, they can become a breeding ground for pathogenic microbes.
poisonous
It would seem that what could be dangerous in oil, especially if it is stored in the refrigerator? It turns out that oil can cause poisoning and it’s not at all about harmful microbes. All fats over time, and especially in the light, undergo oxidation with the formation of toxic compounds. These changes are familiar to every housewife; when oxidized, butter becomes covered with a yellow coating, as experts say, shtaf and acquires a rancid taste. The changes that occur in expired vegetable oil are not so noticeable, but this does not make them less dangerous for humans, leading to atherosclerosis, cancer and premature aging.

Shelf life of packaged butter is 10 days, and vegetable oil can be stored for only 4 months, and even then in the refrigerator.
Meat and fish with odor
Expired products are dangerous not only for infection! How to get poisoned fresh meat or fish? Wash under running water to wash away the \"store\" germs and put in the refrigerator! Cleanly washed meat will let out juice, which serves as a breeding ground for pathogenic microbes, and in a day or two you will have a product teeming with bacteria. Salmonellosis, dysentery, food poisoning, staphylococcal intoxication - the cause of these diseases can be expired meat, and it looks quite fresh.

Fresh meat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours, fish - 48 hours. Even shorter shelf life for meat and fish semi-finished products- an average of 12-24 hours.

Of particular danger are repeatedly defrosted meat products. After all, many bacteria do not die when low temperatures, and defrosting, time after time, leads to their accumulation.

If you bought frozen fish and there is a lot of ice in the package, it is highly likely that the product was stored in violation temperature regime. In such fish, histamines accumulate - substances responsible for the development of allergic reactions.

Candy with a worm
Have you ever bought gray-covered chocolate? The appearance of a white coating indicates a violation of the rules and terms of storage of the product. In the sweets stale on store shelves, chocolate moth starts up. Moth larvae are so small that they quietly gnaw through packages and infect wrapped products. It is safe for health, but the prospect of eating candy with a worm is unlikely to please anyone.

When buying packaged products in a store, do not flatter yourself, the packing date is affixed to the store packaging, and when sweets are produced, only God knows, well, or the seller.

Deadly canned food
Expired meat, fish and especially vegetable and canned mushrooms can cause botulism, a deadly human disease. Of course, it’s quite difficult to get poisoned with store-bought stew, even if it has already outlived its time, but homemade mushrooms, prefabricated hodgepodges may well become a haven for clostridia that produce botulinum toxin, which affects nervous system and leading to respiratory arrest.

Eating expired and improperly stored foods is not only fraught with acute poisoning. You may not notice a deterioration in health after eating expired stew, but it’s hard to say how shortened your life path is. It's like with smoking, no one dies from one cigarette, and lung cancer develops gradually. So expired beer spilled in plastic bottles, may be quite digestible in taste and color, but toxic products accumulated in it can cause severe hangover, and when regular use attack the liver and kidneys.

container oxidation, chemical processes occurring during the interaction of the product with the packaging - all this is taken into account by the manufacturer when determining optimal timing storage, it is not recommended to ignore them, even if the product looks to be of good quality.

Be careful, buy only fresh food and follow the rules and terms of their storage!

Expired drugs: in most cases - nothing to worry about, but not in all 100%. Therefore, it is worth studying the text more carefully.

It turns out that even 5-15 years after the expiration date, up to 85-90% of expired medicines- V in perfect order, in the rest there is a decrease in the effect of the active substance.

The doctor understands, weighing information from different sources, which medicines can and cannot be taken after the expiration date.

90% of expired drugs are in perfect order a few years after the expiration date

Opinion by David Nirenberg, Head of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center :

If several months or even a year have passed after the expiration date and the medicine has been stored in proper conditions ( not exposed to excessive heat or cold, not exposed to the sun, not exposed to high levels of humidity, etc. ) - then for the vast majority of medicines this does not create any problems.

Pharmaceutical companies only test drugs for a certain limited time and give a guarantee that it will be in order. However, this does not mean that it will deteriorate after the warranty period, it is just that manufacturers usually do not test it. long time. For example, ordinary aspirin is guaranteed for 2-3 years - again, subject to proper storage.

Pharmacologists advise reviewing your first aid kit about once a year, throwing out expired medicines.

There are also Scientific research: In 2000, the FDA conducted a study of expired drugs from military stocks. It was found that 90% of expired drugs are still in perfect order several years after the expiration date. The study emphasized that pharmaceutical companies are too conservative and cautious when determining the expiration date of a drug.

In 2006, the journal Clinical Pharmacology also published an article in which the research data were published. 88% of the tested drugs fully retained their properties for at least a year after the end of the period of use, and on average this figure was 5 years.

However, in both cases there is no 100% certainty, because we are talking about medicines.

What expired medicines should be thrown away

However, according to Nirenberg There are medicines that need to be thrown away after the expiration date:

• Liquid medicines that have started to be used. If the package has been opened and the medicine has been used at least once - this creates an opportunity for bacteria to multiply - the contents of the bottle cease to be sterile. This applies to eye drops, for example. do not use expired drops!
• Prescription drugs that have been stored incorrectly. Some medications need to be refrigerated, while others are not recommended to be refrigerated. But you need to be especially careful when storing prescription drugs. For example, nitroglycerin tablets are particularly sensitive and deteriorate from heat. The worst thing that can happen to them, according to Nirenburg, is that they won't act.
• Antibiotics. If you have a serious infection and it is important to take specific antibiotics, there is no way to be 100% sure whether the expired antibiotics are working or not, so in this case it is better not to risk it. In general, the more serious your condition, the less it is worth the risk. However, for some medications, this period is much longer. For example, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, one of the drugs used to treat anthrax, was still usable for another 12 years after its expiration date, according to a 2006 study.

However, the worst thing that can happen with expired drugs is that they can become less effective.

• anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine;
• phenobarbital;
• nitroglycerine;
• warfarin;
• theophylline;
• digoxin;
• thyroid medications, such as levothyroxine sodium;
• paraldehyde;
• oral contraceptives;
• epinephrine;
• insulin;
• various eye drops.

We have not been able to find cases of severe harm from taking expired drugs. In the 1960s, there was one case where, after taking expired antibiotics, some people developed kidney problems, but the treatment turned out to be quite simple and quick. Apart from this case, expired medicines did not lead to any serious consequences.

Expired products are the source potential danger for our health. The body of not every person can, without harm to itself, process food whose expiration date has already expired. Unfortunately, in our time, cases of sales have become more frequent. substandard products so we must know how to avoid danger.

There have always been dishonest sellers seeking to sell expired goods. However, during the economic crisis, their number will increase many times over. Firstly, any losses are now perceived much more painfully than before, and secondly, due to the fall in purchasing power, not all products are sold out on time.

Visitors to supermarkets are especially at risk, where a lot of goods are concentrated, and the owners are not at all disposed to incur large losses. The staff of such large stores knows many ways to sell stale ones. Perhaps the most common is the packaging of products in foam pallets. Expired goods are removed from the boxes, which contain the date of manufacture, and packaged in retail packaging. You may have already noticed that such a package never has the date of manufacture - only the date of packaging, and it can be interrupted at least every day.

There are other ways to deceive customers, such as mixing a good product with a stale one. Especially it concerns minced meat, ready-made salads, vegetables and so on.

Why are expired products dangerous?

Among the products that have long expired, the most dangerous are dairy products, meat, poultry and home-made canned food. Their use can lead to a dangerous disease - botulism.

Expired products can also activate pathogens, an extremely unpleasant disease with many side effects.

And, of course, expired products can be the cause, which, for all its familiarity, can unsettle us for several days.

The main types of violations of the sale of products that can lead to diseases:

• Sale of expired goods.
• The sale of goods that do not have a bill of lading, and, therefore, may not have passed the sanitary examination.
• Violation of the conditions of storage and sale of goods. This may be non-compliance with the temperature regime, sanitary and hygienic conditions, and so on.

How to avoid buying low-quality goods?

When going to the supermarket, try to avoid buying prepackaged goods. Of course, choosing products that are already marked with a price and weight saves a lot of time, but you can never be sure of their quality. This product may be repackaged several times or mixed with a similar product of much lower quality.

Also pay attention to the appearance of the products. There are a few simple rules to remember:

• Refuse to buy products with signs microbiological spoilage- weathering, mold, signs of fermentation.
• remember, that perishable products should not be re-frozen.
• Banks with canned food should not be swollen or deformed.
• The color of the products must be uniform.
• Buying chocolate candies, pay attention to the fact that they are shiny, without white bloom. Caramels should be uniformly colored, not sticky.
• Don't buy waffles with flaky edges.
• Bakery products must be baked, have a uniform porosity and not contain areas that are not sufficiently mixed.

If you have any doubts about the quality of the goods, ask the seller for a certificate of conformity, a certificate of quality and a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion, which must necessarily apply to this particular batch of goods.

When buying in a supermarket, be sure to keep your receipt. Having found out at home that the product you bought is very doubtful in taste and smell, in no case do not eat it. As soon as possible, take the product and the receipt, which shows the date of purchase, and take it to the store, where you are required to return the money.

Much depends on what kind of product it is, in what package it is and how you stored it. Lipstick, blush and shadows can be stored for quite a long time, but it is better not to use tonal foundations and care products after the expiration date. How long can you store different types cosmetics?

Shelf life after opening

Many cosmetic products have a special icon on the packaging - an image of an open can, and in it a number and the letter M. The number indicates how many months you can use the product after opening. Of course, this is not an iron rule, but it is still useful to focus on this period.

Sometimes this icon may not be on the tool itself, but on the box from it. In order not to forget exactly when to get rid of a particular product, write down. For example, you can mark with a marker on the package when you opened the product, or keep a separate notebook in which to enter the dates of purchase of cosmetics.

This is especially important for skin care products. They usually contain antioxidants and other active ingredients that lose their properties over time.

How to determine if a product has gone bad

If the product has changed its color, texture or smell, began to cause an unpleasant sensation on the skin or appeared on it, then it is time to throw it away. Moreover, products with a soft and liquid texture deteriorate faster than powder products. And if cosmetics are marked “without preservatives”, bacteria will begin to develop in it faster, so it is better not to store it for a long time.

Mascara deserves special mention. Usually it is advised to change it after three months, but few people really do this. A study conducted in 2013 found that 70% of participants used expired mascara that was found to contain harmful bacteria and fungi. Investigation on the use of expired make-up and microbiological contamination of mascaras.. Although you may not notice any effects after four or five months, it's still not worth keeping mascara for years.

Throw away dried mascara immediately, do not try to dilute it with water. Water is an ideal environment for the development of bacteria.

How long can cosmetics be used

Decorative cosmetics

• Mascara (regular and waterproof) and eyeliner - 3-4 months.
• Liquid or cream foundations and concealers - from 6 months to a year.
• Powder products (blush, bronzers, shadows) - 2-3 years.
• Lipsticks, pencils and lip glosses - 2–3 years.

Care products

• Tonics - from 6 months to a year.
• Moisturizing creams and serums - from 6 months to a year.
• Cleansing agents - a year.
• Means with AHA and BHA acids - a year.
• Lip balms - year.

Please note that eye or lip products that you use when you are sick (flu or conjunctivitis) become contaminated. Such cosmetics must either be disinfected after each use, or thrown away after recovery.

How to prolong the life of cosmetics

If you keep your makeup and brushes clean, they will last longer. Try not to touch the products themselves with your fingers so that bacteria from the skin does not get into them. To protect decorative cosmetics, you can use a special disinfectant spray.

Here are a few more rules that will help extend the life of your favorite products:

If cosmetics appeared bad smell or the texture has changed, it needs to be thrown out or