Is it okay to use an expired facial mask?

You know that heart-wrenching feeling when you reach into your beauty closet to finally try out that hot new skincare product &#; and you waited so long, it&#;s expired? But what if it didn&#;t have to be the end of the world? What if &#; now, wait for it &#; you could use a sheet mask even though it&#;s past its expiration date? 

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Editor Sheryll experiments with some expired sheet masks &#; and lives to tell the tale. Today&#;s topic is one that y&#;all are going to potentially side-eye me for, but I want you to hear me out and keep an open mind.

Let me set the scene first. If you&#;ve followed me on Instagram for any amount of time, you&#;ll know that I have a pretty extensive sheet mask collection. There was a point where I was buying huge stashes of sheet masks every month (because they were on sale, duh), but you know, I only have one face, so I&#;ve been working my way through them slowly.

But a few months ago, when I did my quarterly skincare organization/cleanup, I realized that at least a quarter of my masks had expiration dates within the month or next. Naturally, I panicked &#; I mean, who spends all this money on sheet masks and doesn&#;t use them? (Me, that&#;s who). By my rough calculations, even if I used a mask twice a day, I still wouldn&#;t make my way through them before their expiration date. Cue the saddest music possible.

And then one day, I saw an Instagram story from Anna of @maskaddict that talked about using expired sheet masks and how *gasp* your face wasn&#;t going to immediately fall off from using them. She had used a few expired masks and commented that they all smelled, looked, and performed just as well as a new mask. You know, as a skincare expert for the better part of a decade, I have it ingrained in my soul to never use an expired product, but I learned that there are definitely some exceptions. After I saw her story, I set out to investigate for myself. And what I learned was pretty surprising!

Storage is key

So, we all know sheet masks are packaged in a one-use package that can&#;t be opened and then re-sealed. This gives sheet masks a big leg up in the whole &#;growing gross bacteria from the outside world&#; thing. Now, this doesn&#;t mean that bacteria can&#;t thrive in an unopened sheet mask &#; if you keep your masks in a warm, humid environment like your bathroom, then you&#;re probably going to want to make sure that you&#;re using your masks before the expiration date to be safe.

But, on the other hand, if you keep your sheet masks in a cool place like your bedroom, or even better, the fridge, you can probably get away with using a sheet mask past its expiration date. And when I&#;m saying past its expiration date, I&#;m saying by like six to nine months or so. I personally wouldn&#;t use a mask that was over a year old.

Check and patch test

Now, before you go and put a bunch of expired sheet masks on your face, I want to you to make sure you&#;re patch testing and doing some checks. Open the pouch and smell it &#; does it smell off? Or weird in any way? Toss it. If it smells fine, take some of the essence and put it on an inconspicuous place like behind your ears or your wrists. If it feels fine, go ahead and use it. If you&#;d still rather not use it on your face, you can use it on your neck, feet, or chest.

Basically, this whole experience was a wake-up call for me. There is no need for me, or anyone really, to buy and hoard so many sheet masks that they end up expiring before you can use them. Sheet masks are typically good for two to three years, so the fact that I had 3-year-old masks that I&#;d never touched was a bit distressing. Now, instead of organizing my masks by type, I&#;ve been organizing by expiration date, that way, I know which ones I need to use up first. I&#;ve been working my way through all of the masks I have, and you know, my skin hasn&#;t exploded, so I think we&#;re all gonna be OK.

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The answer may surprise you.

Have you ever experienced one of those gasp-worthy beauty moments when you pull out that luxury skincare product for some much-needed self-care at home or embark on a long overdue beauty cleaning and notice that your treasured goods are now expired?  Well, is it really that bad to indulge in skincare if it&#;s past the suggested expiration date? 

We&#;re playing around with expired sheet masks for this go-round given, just like Hostess Ding Dongs or Twinkies, these individually wrapped miracle workers appear to be the Benjamin Button of skincare. In other words, they seem to have awe-inspiring longevity! 

World-renown skin experts &#; dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban and esthetician Gina Marí. weigh in. 

Proper Storage 

Of course, sheet masks are packaged in nifty, one-use packages that help preserve their efficacy and aid in keeping unsavory bacteria from creeping in. It&#;s important to be mindful of where we&#;re keeping them, though. &#;Products typically last longer than their actual expiration dates,&#; says Gina Marí. &#;Especially if they&#;re stored in a dark, cool space.&#; Steamy bathrooms can be a breeding ground for icky stuff that can wreak havoc on our beloved beauty products. If you&#;re keeping them in the bathroom, tuck unopened sheet masks away in a dark drawer or consider less humid areas of the house including your bedroom drawers, or even better &#; the crisp, temperature-controlled refrigerator. 

Sniff Away

Scent is a dead giveaway for any potentially rancid beauty products.  Even products that are still within their expiration dates can go bad, so it&#;s imperative to always give them a good sniff. Same goes for an expired sheet mask; this is a no brainer. When you peel open the pouch are you getting an unsavory whiff of nasty-ness or does it just smell even slightly off? If so, there&#;s your answer - it&#;s time to toss it. 

Touchy Feely

If you&#;ve passed the sniff test, now it&#;s time to touch and feel. &#;A sheet mask that appears dried out should be thrown away,&#; says Dr. Ava Shamban. Yup, there&#;s nothing appealing about a shriveled sheet mask. And how does that alluring essence feel? Rub a little between your fingers and dab some on your wrists.  Does it feel silky and soft to the touch?  Let it sit for a minute to make sure there isn&#;t any redness or reaction. This is a good reminder for any skincare and cosmetics &#; always practice the patch test. 

Bottom Line

According to the trusted experts, yes, it&#;s safe to use expired sheet masks &#; that is, if they pass the sniff and touch tests. Same goes for your other beauty products. We generally prefer to stay within one year of expiration, though.

Hey, why not take this time to carve out a designated beauty space in your frig right about now!?

And if you&#;re ever uncertain about a product or have any beauty-related questions, please feel free to reach out to one of Beautytap&#;s trusted Beauty Advisors &#; estheticians, makeup artists, hair stylists, and beauty professionals who are passionate about helping you look and feel your best. 

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