Old Products, New Infection Risks: The Dangers of Expired Makeup
The following is a guest post contributed to Organic Makeup and Skincare by Tisha Dotson. This article discusses the whys and hows of special care required for your organic products. It’s not as simple as buying and putting things on the shelf. So read on to learn some valuable tips that might save you from some very unpleasant bacteria encounters.
When we consider purchasing the best makeup, we often take into account several different factors like price, ingredients, whether or not the product is tested on animals, packaging, and skin type designation. However, once the purchase has been made, just as with other products, we have a tendency to think that the decision-making is over. What many do not consider is that taking care of our products is just as important in maximizing their effectiveness as is purchasing the right kind of products.
When it comes to makeup, proper care is absolutely critical. This is especially true of organic makeup. Why? Simply because organic products do not contain the fillers and preservatives that synthetic makeup products do. As a result, organic makeup products do not have a very long shelf life, and since most manufacturers do not print expiration dates, we must be ever-vigilant about the product’s state on our own.
An article in the Green Beauty Guide outlines the problems with expired makeup. Perhaps because of the lack of an expiration date on makeup, it is very common for women to store cosmetic products for years and years. And of course, makeup, whether or not it’s organic, is expensive. As such tossing products away unnecessarily can hit our pocketbooks pretty hard. But the dangers posed by expired makeup are far more damaging than the economic cost of keeping cosmetics products up-to-date.
According to the article, old makeup can harbor dangerous bacteria. With foundations, expired makeup can cause what is called peri-oral dermatitis, which is manifested by little red bumps that look like acne. Expired mascara can cause conjunctivitis, an eye infection that is also known as pink eye. What’s more, women should be particular vigilant when it comes to lipsticks and lip balms, especially if there’s the possibility that it could have been used by others. In many cases, women can get cold sores through a herpes virus that can easily be absorbed by lip products.
Experts say that when it comes to cosmetics products, go with the smell test. Even if it has only been three months since purchasing, if the product smells strange, then it probably contains bacteria and should be thrown out. It’s also very important to consistently change makeup applicators, which are also breeding grounds for bacteria. While it may be difficult to justify throwing out expensive cosmetics products, the cost will be significantly less than having to deal with a potential infection.
This guest post is contributed by Tisha Dotson, who writes on the topics of medical coding certification. She welcomes your comments at her email: tishadotson86 @gmail . com.
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August 22, 2010 2 Comments
Review of Some Miessence Organic Skin Care Products
Once you start searching for organic makeup or skin care products on line, it’s hard not to run into Miessence. It is a complete line that is sold through independent representatives. I guess it’s sort of a home based business opportunity for those interested in selling it.
Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with Miessence. I’m not their representative. I was, however, contacted by a number of representatives. One of them, Annie, sent me a few samples, some of which I’m about to review. So if the product appeals to you, check out her Miessence store.
Ok, let’s get started.
Annie sent me a number of products, but in the interest of time I’m only going to review two: the moisturizer and the cleanser.
Product names:
Miessence Soothing Moisturizer
Miessence Soothing Cleanser:
About the brand:
The company that produces Miessence is called ONEGroup which is an achronim for Organic and Natural Enterprise Group. It is Australian based and it produces a whole reange of skincare, haircare, health care and cosmetic products. It makes product that are certified by ACO (Australian Certified Organic), the USDA and IFOAM (Organic Federation of Agriculture Movements, in Europe).
The company distributes its products via independent representatives. (Sort of like Mary Kay and Avon).
Price:
According to the web the moisturizer is about $40 for 50 ml and the cleanser is $40.95 for 250 ml bottle.
Certifications:
This is where this brand shines. Miessence got it covered. The products are certified organic by Australian government, the USDA and IFOAM. They are certified organic to International Food Standard. You can’t get better than that.
Packaging:
Both products come in recyclable plastic tubes. To quote from the bottle: “100% Recyclable non leaching Plastic”
Reading the ingredients:
Both products are concoctions of organic oils and extracts. I did not spot any ingredients I could complain about. Bravo.
Scent:
The products have similar scent. For some reason it reminds me of a certain cooking oil but I can’t quite place it. I wouldn’t say that the smell is the product’s strongest feature. That’s one place where some tweaking wouldn’t hurt. But it’s not all that bad either. Just different…
Texture:
The moisturizer is a very thin cream, almost watery. The cleanser is also a gentle cream mix, though a bit less runny.
Performance:
The cleanser does it job perfectly well. I used it to wash off all the fancy organic makeup I’ve been wearing lately (a layer of foundation, brow pencil, mascara and some shadows) and it all came off without excessive rubbing. It also felt gentle and not in the least irritating.
The moisturizer was a bit too light for my skin. And a bit watery – my skin was softer than without cream, but I felt as if there was a tiny tight film on it. (Annie also sent me a really small pack of Miessence Rejuvinating Moisturiser. I wasn’t going to review it officially, but after I tried it I wish she sent me a tube of that one! It was exactly what my skin was craving).
Verdict:
Cleanser – I haven’t tried it on tough mainstream makeup. But for regular cleansing and removing of natural makekup I would definitely recommend it. It’s pure and gentle.
Moisturiser – this particular moisturizer is not for someone with really dry skin. Probably for normal but I wouldn’t know… I think it’s a bit too thin. For really dry skin try the rejuvenating moisturizer.
In any case, do give this line of organic products your consideration. I think they really get what it means to be organic.
Tips: Annie also sent me a set of small sample packs. Which supports my theory that most reputable companies have samples. So if you are unsure about a product you could probably try asking for some samples or buying really small size packages before you plunge into a full blown shopping spree.
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June 29, 2009 36 Comments
