# Does lotion go bad?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-lotion-go-bad/336825>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 22, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-lotion-go-bad/336825 "2005-12-22T17:56:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-lotion-go-bad/336825/1 "2005-12-22T17:56:10Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-lotion-go-bad/336825/2 "2005-12-22T18:03:23Z")

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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.

> [@](#):
>
> All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer’s customer-service number.
> 
> Bar soap: 18 months to 3 years
> 
> Bath gel, body wash: 3 years
> 
> Bath oil: 1 year
> 
> Body lotion : 3 years
> 
> Conditioner: 2 to 3 years

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**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-lotion-go-bad/336825/3 "2005-12-22T18:06:12Z")

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[Link to expiration dates of cosmetics and things like ketchup…](http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/print/0,22304,676079,00.html)