Expiry dates and the open-jar symbol: how long products last

Look at the bottom of a tube of medicated cream and you’ll find a stamped expiry date. Look at your moisturizer and you might find nothing, or a tiny drawing of an open jar with “12M” beside it. The difference isn’t carelessness. Canada labels drugs and cosmetics under different rules, and the open-jar symbol comes from somewhere else entirely.

Why some products have expiry dates and others don’t

Canadian skin products fall into three regulatory groups, and each is labelled differently.

Drugs, including non-prescription ones such as medicated creams, are covered by the Food and Drug Regulations. Section C.01.004 says the inner and outer labels of a drug must show its expiration date, along with the lot number and directions for use. Drugs also have to show their Drug Identification Number (DIN).

Natural health products, which carry a product number (NPN) under the Natural Health Products Regulations, must also show an expiry date. The regulations define it as the earlier of two dates: the end of the product’s tested stability period, or the date after which the manufacturer recommends it not be used. It must be written as at least a year and a month.

Cosmetics are different. Health Canada’s list of what a cosmetic label must carry is the list of ingredients, the product’s identity, the amount, contact information, the dealer’s name and place of business, and any warnings and directions. An expiry date isn’t on the list. So a lotion, cleanser or shampoo sold as a cosmetic can legally have no date at all.

That doesn’t mean cosmetics last forever. It means the company decides whether to tell you, and how.

The open-jar symbol, decoded

The little open pot with a number and “M” is the period-after-opening symbol. It isn’t a Canadian requirement. It comes from the European Union’s cosmetics regulation, and you’ll find it on many products sold here.

Article 19 of that regulation sets two routes:

• If a product keeps for 30 months or less, it must show a date of minimum durability, a “best used before the end of” date, which may be marked with a small hourglass symbol.
• If it keeps for more than 30 months, that date is optional. Instead, it must show the open-jar symbol followed by the period, in months or years, during which the product is safe to use after opening.

So “12M” means 12 months after you first open it, not 12 months after you buy it. An unopened product on your shelf isn’t counting down in the same way, although it isn’t immortal either.

Why the clock starts when you open it

Opening changes everything. The US Food and Drug Administration lists what wears a product down once it’s in use:

• Dipping fingers in adds bacteria and fungi, which preservatives then have to control.
• Preservatives themselves can break down over time.
• Applicators, especially mascara wands, pick up microbes every time they’re used.
• Bathroom humidity makes it easier for microbes to grow, and heat speeds that up.
• Sunlight, air and temperature changes can alter colour, texture and smell.

Where do the numbers come from? The FDA says that, based on its inspections, some manufacturers expose samples to different temperatures and humidity levels to see how conditions affect a product, which helps them work out how long it stays safe and usable. Some also track how long products have sat on store shelves and tell stores when to remove them. Companies aren’t required to share those results, so if you want to know how a period was set, you’d have to ask the company.

Eye products are the shortest-lived. The FDA says eye-area cosmetics tend to have shorter shelf lives, and that manufacturers usually recommend discarding mascara two to four months after purchase, because of the risk of eye infections.

Signs a product has gone off

You don’t need a date to spot a spoiled product. Health Canada’s advice is simple: do not use a cosmetic if it changes in smell, colour or feel. In practice, watch for:

• a smell that’s different from when you opened it
• a change in colour
• a cream that has separated into oily and watery layers, which the FDA notes can happen to emulsions over time
• a product that has dried out, hardened or cracked
• a mascara that has gone dry; don’t add water or saliva to revive it, as both add microbes

When in doubt, throw it out. A new tube costs less than an eye infection.

Habits that help products last

Health Canada and the FDA give overlapping advice:

• Wash your hands before applying makeup.
• Keep products in a dry area, away from direct heat and sunlight. A hot car is a bad place for a lotion.
• Don’t share makeup, and don’t dilute it with water or saliva.
• Close lids properly after each use.
• Consider writing the opening date on the pack with a marker. It makes the open-jar symbol much more useful.

For medicated products with an expiry date, respect the date. For natural health products, the regulations tie it to how long the product has been shown to stay stable; past that point, nobody has checked that it still works as it should.

If a product causes redness, burning or swelling, stop using it. Health Canada suggests seeing a doctor if a reaction looks irritated and lasts; if it isn’t better after two weeks, see your doctor or pharmacist.

The thing to remember: in Canada, a DIN or NPN product must show an expiry date, while a cosmetic doesn’t have to. The open-jar symbol, when it’s there, counts from the day you open the pack. And whatever the label says, a change in smell, colour or texture means it’s time to let go.