It is one of the questions we receive most often at the counter and one of the hardest to answer: "this cream has no expiry date, is it expired or not?". The short answer is that it probably isn't, but there is no way to know by looking at the packaging. And the reason is not that the manufacturer has been careless: it is that the law does not require them to put it on.
It is worth understanding why, because this leads to a paradox that affects everyone who buys cosmetics and, especially, those who have to manage a pharmacy retail shelf.
The 30-month rule
The Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, in its article 19, divides cosmetics into two worlds according to their minimum durability:
Lasts less than 30 months
The manufacturer is obliged to print the date, with the hourglass symbol or with the phrase "Best before end of...".
You know when it expires.
Lasts more than 30 months
The PAO symbol is sufficient, the open jar with "12M". And that number counts from the moment you open the product, not from when it was manufactured.
You do not know how old that pot is.
The paradox: the most stable product is precisely the one that gives you the least information. If a cream has a printed date, it is because it lasts less than two and a half years. If it does not have one, it is because it lasts longer — but then the only thing printed is the batch number.
In other words: seeing an expiry date on a cosmetic is not a bad sign, and not seeing one is neither good nor bad. They are two different labelling regimes.
What 12M exactly means
The open jar symbol is the PAO (Period After Opening). The number represents the months that the product remains in good condition from the day you open it.
This is constantly misinterpreted. A pot with 12M that you opened yesterday lasts you a year, even if it was manufactured two years ago. And a pot with 12M that you opened fourteen months ago is already out of date, even if it is from this year. The clock starts ticking upon opening, not with the purchase or the manufacturing.
| Product type | Typical PAO | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mascara | 6M | The brush returns flora to the container with each use, and it is next to the eye. |
| Eye contour | 6M | Risk area and usually applied with the finger. |
| Face cream in a jar | 12M | You put your finger in: repeated contamination. |
| Airless or pump cream | 12M | Less contact, but the preservative ages all the same. |
| Sunscreen | 12M | In addition to time, it is greatly affected by heat. See below. |
| Perfume | 24-36M | Alcohol preserves; what degrades is the olfactory note. |
These are indicative values for the sector: the one that counts is the one printed on your container.
The batch number: sometimes it contains the date
When there is no printed date, the only thing left is the batch. And here is some half-good news: many brands encode the manufacturing date within the batch, although each in its own way.
The most common formats in pharmacy retail are:
| Format | Example | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| YYMMDD | 240517 | 17 May 2024 |
| Julian YYDDD | 24138 | Day 138 of 2024 → 17 May |
| Short Julian YDDD | 4138 | Day 138 of 2024 |
| YYMM | 2405 | May 2024, no day |
Beware of double readings. 240517 is 17 May 2024 read as YYMMDD, but also 24 May 2017 read as DDMMYY. Seven years of difference for the same number. That is why any tool that gives you a single date without warning of the ambiguity deserves little trust.
And an important warning: not all brands put the date in the batch. Many use internal production codes from which you simply cannot deduce anything. When that is the case, the honest thing to do is to say so, not to invent a date that seems reasonable.
The reliable way: the DataMatrix
If the container has the little square of dots, the guesswork is over. Inside is the information in standard GS1 fields, and one of them —the (17)— is the expiry date, written literally. You do not have to decode anything or know what format the brand uses: the date is there.
All medicines carry it due to the European verification system, a good portion of medical devices due to their unique identifier, and increasingly more cosmetics on the outer packaging. Please check with your own national regulator for any specific regulatory requirements in your region.
Clear up your doubts about your product
We have built a free, ad-free tool that does exactly this: it reads the DataMatrix, decodes the batch by testing known formats, discards impossible ones, and calculates the shelf life using the PAO. If the batch does not contain a date, it tells you so instead of inventing one.
Check an expiry dateWhat really happens to an expired cosmetic
It is worth toning down the alarmism here. An out-of-date cosmetic is not usually toxic. What happens is more boring and more relevant: it stops doing what it promises, and in some cases, it becomes contaminated.
- Sun filters degrade. This is the most serious case because the failure is invisible: the bottle still looks and feels the same, but the actual protection factor is no longer what the packaging claims. You get burnt while using sunscreen.
- Vitamin C oxidises. If the serum has turned orange or brown, the ascorbic acid has already turned into something else. It does no harm, but it is not doing anything.
- Retinol and antioxidants lose activity with light and oxygen. An opaque container with a pump dispenser lasts much better than a transparent jar.
- The preservative system is exhausted. This is what can cause a problem: when the preservative stops containing the flora, the product becomes contaminated. The risk is concentrated in products applied with the finger and those used near the eye.
A practical rule that works better than any date: if the colour, smell, or texture has changed, or if it has separated into two phases, throw it away. Even if the date says it is perfect. And vice versa: a product in good condition a few days after the PAO is not a health emergency.
The special case of last year's sunscreen
This deserves a separate paragraph because it is the star question every June. The problem with sunscreen is not just the calendar: it is where the bottle has spent the last twelve months. A sunscreen that has lived on the beach, in the car glove box, or in a steamy bathroom has been subjected to temperatures that degrade the filters much faster than its date suggests.
If last year's bottle has spent the summer with you, the actual factor it is giving you is no longer the one on the packaging, and there is no way to tell by looking at it. In sun protection, when in doubt, get a new bottle.
If you are on the other side of the counter
For a pharmacy, this stops being a curiosity and becomes a management problem with figures. The management software —Farmatic, Unycop, Nixfarma— has its expiry field, but that field is filled in by hand at reception by copying what is on the box. And these references do not state anything.
The result is a blind spot: precisely the products with the slowest turnover and highest margin —dermocosmetics, sunscreens, supplements— are the ones the system cannot date.
And the date that really matters is not the expiry date. It is the last day the manufacturer will still accept returns, which is usually about 6 months before. After that window, the product is no longer refundable and the loss is borne by the pharmacy. An unreviewed shelf is not a problem of order: it is tied-up money that becomes lost money on a specific date.
Three things that help more than they seem:
- Note the opening date on testers and in-salon products. The PAO counts from then and no one remembers when that bottle was opened.
- Review by return window, not by expiry date. If you check looking for what expires, you are late for what could have been returned.
- Start from the top and the back. That is where what no one has touched in two years remains, which is exactly what does not have a printed date.
To review an entire shelf
The tool allows you to add products —by scanning, pasting the code, or writing them by hand— and it returns the list ordered by what needs to be resolved first, with the deadline for return for each one. It is saved on your device and can be exported to Excel.
Open expiry reviewFrequently asked questions
Why does my cream not have an expiry date?
Because the law does not require it. Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, art. 19 only requires it to be printed when the minimum durability is less than 30 months. If it lasts longer, the PAO symbol on the open jar is sufficient. The only thing that remains printed then is the batch number.
What does 12M mean on a cosmetic?
It is the PAO (Period After Opening): 12 months of duration from when you open it, not from when it was manufactured. 6M is common for mascaras and eye contours, 12M for creams and sunscreens, and 24-36M for perfumery.
How do I know when a cosmetic was manufactured from the batch number?
Many brands encode the date inside, in formats like YYMMDD (240517 = 17 May 2024) or Julian YYDDD (24138 = day 138 of 2024). But not all: many use internal codes without a date. You can try it in the expiry tool, which discards impossible formats and warns you when there is more than one possible reading.
Is it dangerous to use an expired cream?
Normally it is not toxic, but it loses efficacy and gains microbiological risk. Most importantly: sun filters degrade and stop protecting at the announced factor, vitamin C oxidises, and the preservative stops containing the flora — especially in products applied with the finger or used near the eye. In the event of a change in colour, smell, or texture, it should be discarded even if the date says it is fine.
How long does an opened sunscreen from last year last?
It depends on the PAO, usually 12M, but the problem is twofold: besides the time, that bottle has usually spent the summer on the beach or in the car, and heat degrades the filters faster than the date indicates. The actual factor is no longer the one on the packaging and cannot be seen with the naked eye. In photoprotection, when in doubt, get a new bottle.
What is the return-to-supplier window?
Laboratories usually accept returns only up to a certain time before expiry, usually about 6 months. After this period, the product is no longer refundable and the loss is borne by the pharmacy. That's why that date, not the expiry date, takes precedence on the shelf. Each laboratory has its own policy: confirm yours.
In summary
- That there is no date does not mean the product is worse: it means it lasts more than 30 months and the law allows it to be replaced by the PAO.
- The 12M counts from opening, not from manufacture or purchase.
- The batch number sometimes contains the date, but not always, and the same number can have two readings years apart.
- If there is a DataMatrix, the expiry date is written and there is no need to guess anything.
- A change in colour, smell or texture takes precedence over any date.
- In a pharmacy, the deciding date is the return-to-supplier date, not the expiry date.
Information on cosmetic labelling for guidance; it does not replace what the manufacturer indicates on each specific product. Regulatory source: Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, art. 19. See also the clinical content policy.