Old nail polish..when is it too old to use?
- Thread starter snooky137
- Start date
If nail polishes last forever.. then I wonder why they have the little shelf life thingie.. and also why it smells so sour after a couple of years later? I figure that it actually is bad and even though it might look safe to put on your fingers.. I mean, they don't put the shelf life on the bottle for nothing.
Great info, thanks everyone! I've used thinners before, but I feel that polish doesn't dry well and doesn't have a shiny finish or doesn't completely harden. I always thought it was cos the polish was old. But maybe I was putting too much thinner or using one with too much alcohol. I have so many nail polishes that I've tossed since I thought they may damage my nails cos they were old. I'm going to reevaluate for sure!
I might not be checking correctly but I can't find a shelf-life print on any of my nail polishes. Not on the sticker, bottle or cap. What kind of code am I looking for?
Anyway, as far as the sour smell goes, I have tremendously old polishes that still smell normal to me. I close them super tight though, maybe that makes a difference?
At the back of some OPI's and china glazes there is this symbol of what looks like a container with an open lid with a number (for my nail polishes it's either a 24 or 36) with an "m" beside it. That means that it's good for only 24 or 36 months, or 2 or 3 years. This symbol with the numbers are also at the back of most cosmetics (ie. smashbox, MAC). Here's a pic:
So.. I think that there's a reason they put these "Period After Opening" symbols behind nail polishes for a reason. Maybe the chemicals breakdown and can become toxic, I don't know. So I'm just going to be cautious and if my polishes turn old and funky, they will be chucked down the trash bin.
So.. I think that there's a reason they put these "Period After Opening" symbols behind nail polishes for a reason. Maybe the chemicals breakdown and can become toxic, I don't know. So I'm just going to be cautious and if my polishes turn old and funky, they will be chucked down the trash bin.
At the back of some OPI's and china glazes there is this symbol of what looks like a container with an open lid with a number (for my nail polishes it's either a 24 or 36) with an "m" beside it. That means that it's good for only 24 or 36 months, or 2 or 3 years. This symbol with the numbers are also at the back of most cosmetics (ie. smashbox, MAC). Here's a pic:
So.. I think that there's a reason they put these "Period After Opening" symbols behind nail polishes for a reason. Maybe the chemicals breakdown and can become toxic, I don't know. So I'm just going to be cautious and if my polishes turn old and funky, they will be chucked down the trash bin.
Ah, I see, didn't know about that symbol. Thanks so much for posting a picture, I was looking for a date!
I think beyond that period the consistency of polish is certainly changed, but I'm fine with using thinner as a fix for that. If it were lipstick or moisturizer I would definitely chuck it, but I'm not too concerned with absorbing chemicals through my dead nail plates. I use some big-3 products too.
Thank you for explaining the symbol to me though! I do see it on my bottles.
Well, if the thinner doesn't work, I highly suggest looking into Zoya's polish exchange if you haven't already. Sure beats throwing them out and getting nothing in return for it.
I've done two exchanges and it's awesome! If you ladies are throwing out your polishes, definitely do it. Zoya rocks and it's basically 50% + free shipping!
Here's the link for it: http://www.zoya.com/earthday/
It's still good right now.
Yeah, I noticed OPI puts that period after opening symbol on their bottles (it's 24M in their case). I have no idea why they do that. Sometimes, I wonder if companies want us to believe that products have a certain shelf life, so we will toss them out and buy more.
Or because they just can't stand by the product's consistency after that point? My Nail Tek Extend says I can keep refreshing polishes forever, and I like the sound of that.
