Am I really meant to throw makeup away if it is over a year old

[Joss1992]

I've just read that I'm meant to throw my makeup away if it is over a year old. I don't wear makeup very often so there is plenty of it left and it is decent stuff from Benefit, etc. Some of it is 3-4 years old, some a couple of years old. Am I really meant to throw it all away?!

Mascara I would get rid of, other stuff possibly not. It depends how it looks.

I don’t - but a word of warning - I once used a blusher that was my mums - could have been up to ten years old maybe - I can out in a horrible rash.
However I still use makeup until it runs out.

Uses to work for cosmetics company. No. You don't need to throw makeup away. Face creams might go off after a really looong time but makeup is good.

Forgot to say the shelf life was a requirement brought in some time in the last 15 years, and the reaction of everyone at work was, "that's hilarious/ridiculous, but it'll help us sell more product, as people will be throwing away perfectly good kit"

I never have.

Companies are out to make as much money out of you as possible. They can't do that if things last forever!

I've still got some eyeshadow from the 80s! Not that I wear it but I wouldn't be worried if I suddenly fancied some peach eyeshadow.

Mascara... I throw away after 6 months.

I don’t use foundation. Concealer - I buy small ones and they tend to only last about a year anyway. Everything else I use until it runs out. I have some eyebrow makeup that is actually older than my 22 year old DD! I bought it in Selfridges and use it regularly but it is a compressed powder and never seems to go down! I wash the brush every week along with all my other brushes.

Mascaras would be the only ones I’d throw out after a year but they never last that long anyway! Anything else would only get thrown out when “off” - I’ve only recently got rid of an eyeshadow that was about 20 years old, and only then because it was going crumbly.

I’ve got another one of a similar age and it’s still going strong - I’m putting it on my eyebrows not my toast so I’m sure I’ll live if I carry on using it.