If you’ve ever wondered whether your vitamin-C serum or the tube of sunscreen you found in your beach bag is still potent, you’ve come to the right place. An expiration date is sometimes stamped on the bottom of a jar, but it isn’t a common practice. And even if the date is visible, what does it mean? Javon Ford has the answers. He’s a cosmetic chemist whose research-rich TikTok videos @javonford16 are a healthy mix of entertainment and accuracy. This month, for Air Mail Look, he parses the meaning of expiration dates.
Expiration dates are like the worst-case scenario; that’s when companies can ensure that the formula is safe mainly from a preservative and stability standpoint.
