Does lotion go bad?

Factual Questions
1

My mom had this bottle of lotion that she kept by the kitchen sink that stung like the bejeebers when you used it (so I didn’t.) I asked her why she didn’t throw it out, and she said something about it having been expensive, and the sting not being all that bad. (I disagree!)

I’ve had a few bottles of lotion that also caused stinginess. They were all small sample-size bottles, and I was never really sure how much of the lotion I’d used before, so I always assumed that there was something in the formulation that disagreed with me, and threw them out.

But today I put on some lotion that I know has been fine in the past, and it stung. It felt a bit granular, too. Strangely enough, it’s yet another small bottle, which I ripped off from the Four Points Sheraton in St. Paul so it’s at least two years old.

I followed it up with some Vaseline Intensive Care, which soothed the pain a bit.

So, what, am I nuts? Does lotion go bad? If so, why don’t they put expiration dates on it?

2

Oh yeah, cosmetics can expire. They are crammed with preservatives, but OTOH they can reamin unsold in the shop quite a while before you buy them, so you have to detract a few months from the time given below. Also, opened cosmetics typically are kept in moist and warm surroundings such as a bathroom. That makes them go bad faster.

3

Link to expiration dates of cosmetics and things like ketchup…