📅 Skincare Expiry Date Tracker
Pick a product type and the date you opened it to see its use-by date, days remaining, and whether it's fresh, expiring soon, or expired.
🔧 Track Your Product's Shelf Life
What is an Expiry Date Tracker?
Skincare and makeup don't last forever once opened. An expiry date tracker uses each product's Period-After-Opening — how many months it stays safe and effective after the seal is broken — to tell you when to replace it. That protects you from irritation and from wasting money on products that have lost their punch.
Enter when you opened a product and its type, and this tool calculates the use-by date and flags whether it's fresh, expiring soon, or already expired, so your shelf stays safe and your actives stay effective.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Period-After-Opening (PAO) symbol?
The PAO is the little open-jar icon on cosmetics with a number and an M, like 12M, telling you how many months the product stays good once opened. This tracker uses typical PAO values for common product types — for example mascara around 6 months and most serums and moisturizers around 12 — to estimate when yours expires.
Why does mascara expire so much faster than other products?
Mascara goes on and near the eyes and the wand repeatedly pumps air and bacteria back into the tube, so it has one of the shortest shelf lives — usually about three to six months after opening. Using it past that point raises the risk of eye irritation and infection, which is why it carries a much shorter PAO than a serum or moisturizer.
Can I use a product after its opening date?
It's best not to. After the PAO window, preservatives weaken and the product can grow bacteria, oxidise, or lose effectiveness, especially active-rich serums and sunscreens that may no longer protect properly. When in doubt, trust your senses too — discard anything that smells off, changes colour, or separates, even before the date.