Do you know what's worse than a cold sore? An outdated lip balm. That's right folks, your trusty chapstick could be causing those pesky eruptions on your lips. But how can that be? Isn't lip balm supposed to prevent chapped lips and not cause them? Well, let's dive into the world of expired beauty products together and find out.
What is an Outdated Lip Balm?
Before we start pointing fingers at our beloved lip balms, we should probably understand what makes them go bad in the first place. Expired or outdated cosmetics happen when they have been exposed to air, light, and bacteria over time. There are no regulated expiry dates for most cosmetics like there are for food items; therefore, it is up to us as consumers to keep track of how long we've had certain products open.
As a rule of thumb in the cosmetic industry - use-by dating on cream-based foundations range between six months to one year while other creams such as eye creams last closer towards 12-24 months (plus or minus) depending upon their formulation consistency.
Lip balm has no official expiration date; however its contents can become stale after prolonged contact with saliva from multiple uses spread over extended periods. Overexposure to heat or extreme temperatures may also affect usage duration resulting in potential contamination triggering infections if applied past three years from manufacture date stamping according national regulatory authorities around the globe including USA’s FDA (Food & Drug Administration) regulations in particular which require manufacturers clearly label such requirements too!
Can expired Lip Balms cause Cold Sores?
Yes! Wearing expired makeup can lead to skin irritations ranging from simple rashes all the way up through infections caused by pathogens living inside old ingredients - this includes lipstick stains leading potentially infectious outbreaks dormant viruses that manifest themselves as cold sores just when you thought you were finally done with it.
Cold sores (also known as herpes labialis) are tiny, fluid-filled blisters on and around the lips caused by the herpes simplex virus. Lip balm that has expired can cause them because they promote bacteria growth; once bacteria gets into an open lip area, it begins to feed off of dead skin cells while also spreading germs all over wherever they make contact.
How do I know if my Lip Balm is Expired?
Lip balm is considered “expired” after one year from its manufacture date stamped onto each tube or container in relatively small print unless opened earlier where such time should be significantly less according national regulatory guidelines governing North America & Europe for instance. Overexposure due this product undergoing hot-cold fluctuations including prolonged sunlight exposure may shorten shelf life triggering possible microbial degradation leading constituents’ degradation changes over extended periods robbing their biological effectiveness therefore testing individuals’ resistance against potential infection attacks if applied during past three years since original production batch considered safe expiry timeline typically printed on packaging material somewhere visible enough to see without a magnifying lens!
A simple test could check whether your lip balm has gone stale: apply some onto your finger and rub it gently back-and-forth across two fingers. - It should glide across smoothly making no audible clings signs showing indicatively fresh raw materials constituent units still present. - However old waxy texture often used up gaining viscosity hardness sticking feeling fingertips instead given away mostly rancid oxidized oils component reflected by foul odor smell suggesting bacterial contaminations within fraction of seconds.
What are the risks involved?
Continuous use of outdated products like lip balms opens up our lips to more than just cold sores — infections, irritants, and other nasty side effects can result from using something that’s not meant to be there anymore or quite possibly even worse still emit metals chromium, antioxidants and aluminium potentially deleterious effects thwarting potential medicinal benefits or augmenting various metabolic disorders issues too.
Several cases in the past have led to individuals contracting serious infections due to using topical products, with symptoms ranging from simply irritating rashes all the way up through highly serious inflammations caused by multiple bacterial strains. So when you see that open container lying around for far longer than its intended use-by date think twice before applying it onto your now cuticles so as avoid infection transfer cross-contamination especially if immuno-compromized.
What should I do with my outdated Lip Balm?
Once a lip balm has gone bad or is no longer effective, it’s best not making use of anymore this time round. Choose new products wisely! More often then not recycled containers still harbour residual bacteria after sanitizing which are detrimental communicating diseases therefore discard them safely once recyclable segregation rule observed depending upon each specific region disposal protocol being followed rather than keeping them handy just-in-case at-home usage preferences offered online purveyors such as Amazon, Walmart and CVS typically provide easy return-refund policies allowing consumers get full cash-back value within specified duration made clear product listing page otherwise seek corrective measures knowledgable local regulatory experts!
In conclusion,
We hope this humorous take on outdated lip balms opened your eyes to how dangerous they can be - but don't let that fact deter you from finding the perfect product that works for you because after all being addicted to lip smacking solutions isn't anything different today than was 500 years ago thanks social norms changed considerably since Queen Elizabeth outed her iconic lead-saturated cosmetics routine back during Tundra times showing us how living well everyday life habits transcend timelines whilst simultaneously creating fresh ones yet-to-be found – experiences of former queens notwithstanding :). Stay safe, stay healthy - keep those lips smooth and free from harm!