Many people use makeup every single day and see nothing wrong with it. At the same time, others claim that makeup severely damages the skin, provokes acne, causes irritation, and even premature aging. But is it actually true? Do makeup products really severely damage our skin and lead to premature aging? Let’s try to answer this question together.
Ingredients
When it comes to the harm of makeup, it is mostly caused by its ingredients. In fact, a few centuries ago, people used lead and other toxic substances in makeup products, and at that time, makeup could literally kill you. Of course, nowadays, it’s not the case, and legit makeup brands use only certified ingredients that are totally safe. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that safe ingredients cannot cause any skin issues.
Perhaps the main problem modern makeup causes is pore clogging and sometimes even acne. Luckily, you can easily avoid dealing with those problems if you choose the right products that do not contain pore-clogging ingredients, such as carrageenan, lanolin, palm oil, sodium laureth sulfate, wheat germ, or coconut oil. These are the most common ingredients, but unfortunately, the list of pore-clogging ingredients used in makeup is way longer, so make sure to take a look at the full list here.
All in all, certain ingredients in makeup do damage your skin, yet if you choose products that do not contain those, makeup will not harm your skin.
Expired Makeup
Another reason why makeup can potentially damage your skin is using expired products. Yes, a lot of people use foundations that are a few years old, and they have no issues with that, but it’s still not okay. In addition to that, a lot of people use expired makeup simply because they are not aware of that. You see, most makeup has two best-before dates. The first one is general, and it’s usually a few years. But the date you need to pay attention to is the best-before date after you open a product. In fact, it’s usually not a date but a small symbol of an open jar with text like 6M or 12M on it. This number shows how long you can use a particular product after you open it. For example, 6M means six months, and 1Y means one year.
Apart from that, you have to keep in mind that certain products require particular storage conditions not to expire too soon. For instance, you do not want to store your makeup in hot places or under direct sunlight. In general, if you do not use expired or spoiled products, you will not have any skin damage from them, so pay attention to the best before dates.