You Buy It New From QVC But How Old Is It Really?

[donna255]

This one is causing interest on the QVC Facebook page. Seems people have discovered that beauty products bought brand new from QVC are already sometimes half way or more through their use by date.

This site

http://checkcosmetic.net/

You put in your batch code on popular brands and it tells you when it was manufactured.

L'Occitane stuff bought at the end of last year and actually made in the middle of 2010 etc.

Try it and see how old your products really are.

I will admit on perfume boards we do use it to make sure we have vintage and not reformulated perfumes.:rock:

 

[minim]

I have given this some thought in the past.
Q are always going on about their buying power & that made think that they might be sourcing older stock at reduced prices.

 

[Rebus]

Try it and see how old your products really are.

Hmmmmm; just looked at my stash, that may take some time.....:blush:

 

[BusyMum]

Hmmmmm; just looked at my stash, that may take some time.....:blush:

don't be too long there..expect to see you in the games room!

I know there has been a ybf foundation in Last Clicks for long enough - God knows how old that must be!

 

[diane60]

My L'Occitane soaps I bought last month were Oct 2007!!!!!!!!!!! Bought direct from the store not QVC though.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Well I no longer have a stash so my check won't take long. And the only thing I have that I've bought from QVC is a 100ml PCMC. Everything else was bought on the high street I think. Oh hold on I bought the last but one Laura Geller TSV. Still ... that's not too bad.

 

[iloveshopping]

Checked a few L'Occitane hand creams bought from QVC and all are OK.

Interesting I am using a very old Avon SSS body lotion (bought circa 2000) and the website indicated that it was out of date placing it in December 2007.

I know I shouldn't be using such an old lotion, it hasn't had any bad effects yet. I just cannot bear to waste money. It smells normal as well.

 

[White Russian]

oh god, I'm not sure I dare look! Here's a question though. They say products usually have a shelf life of say 3 years unopened and however long unopened (say 2 years). I presume this means you actually get 5 years out of it (I've heard Andrew Bagley say the two are cumulative), but is that from the date of factory production? If so, that's a problem because you don't know how fresh the stock is. I've always assumed you get some leeway on shelf lives and that if they quote 2 years, you can probably get away with 3?

 

[donna255]

White Russian I had a conversation with a cosmetic sa the other week about this. I said well the products should be sealed as none are air tight to start with. So sticking the little symbol on the pot which shows 6mths or whatever is really useless unless in an airtight pump. When does the 6 months start, if the product is not airtight then really it should be from point of manufacture.

I have a few MAC lippies from it must be early 00s, they smell fine and do what they should.

 

[White Russian]

Thanks Donna. There's something to be said for the smell test. If the texture is ok and it doesn't smell bad I guess I'm ok.

 

[Akimbo]

That's what I go by, whether the smell or texture has changed. I'm always rediscovering stuff I've squirrelled away and forgotten about and mostly the products are fine if they've never been used. It's transfer of bacteria from fingers, lips or make-up brushes that starts the useby clock ticking in my experience.

Manufacturers err on the side of caution with their dates because they can't tell what conditions the product will be stored or used in.

Jude xx

 

[amn]

That's what I go by, whether the smell or texture has changed. I'm always rediscovering stuff I've squirrelled away and forgotten about and mostly the products are fine if they've never been used. It's transfer of bacteria from fingers, lips or make-up brushes that starts the useby clock ticking in my experience.

Manufacturers err on the side of caution with their dates because they can't tell what conditions the product will be stored or used in.

Jude xx

Blimey flip, I don't know about make up and lotions and potions - this is what I go by with food!!
We have a method in our house, if its past its sell by date, sniff it -
If it doesn't stink, eat it,
if it stinks wash it and sniff it again,
if it still stinks chuck it but if it smells reasonable after a swill under the tap it gets eaten.
We're all still standing....

 

[Breeze]

You can soon tell if something's gone off by the smell, or taste with lipsticks, & foundations tend to separate.
I suppose it's a good marketing strategy, use by dates, just as it is with supermarkets.

 

[minim]

Blimey flip, I don't know about make up and lotions and potions - this is what I go by with food!!
We have a method in our house, if its past its sell by date, sniff it -
If it doesn't stink, eat it, ....

We have a similar method in our house.
If its past its sell by date, sniff it.
If it's rank throw it.
If it's "might not be off" let the cat sniff it.
If she's interested, deny her & feed it to Himself
If he's still standing after 6 hours, eat it!

 

[Posy]

I've always had an issue with Lancome bi facial eye make up remover. The two sections seem to mix and go cloudy and yuck. But I digress, my main point is , Is there a use by date for some of the presenters and so called "experts". Reckon most are well pas their sell by dates!!!

 

[donna255]

I always use the smell test. Bobbi Brown and Nars lippies tend to develop the crayon smell around a year(that is a sign they are turning it seems), but they go on okay and nothing weird has ever happened to me from using them.

 

[iloveshopping]

Akimbo makes a very valid point about contamination from fingers and lips. I worked for a engineering company who provided various handcreams in dispensing units in the toilets such as barrier creams. They had an outbreak of stomach sickness and work absences and it was eventually traced back to the handcream dispensing units. The units were being topped up with new handcream before the containers were empty and bacteria had got into the bottom of them. Some of the staff were applying handcream to their hands and then to their face and lips. The solution was to put a complete fresh bag into the dispensing unit.

I buy the Judith Williams night and day creams which are 150ml. As it takes me at least 10 weeks to work my way through 50ml, it would take me 6 months to get to the bottom of the 150 pot so I decant 50ml into a clean sterilised with hot water container using a spatula to prevent contamination of the larger pot.

 

[White Russian]

I hda a play with this site last night. I tested Bobbi Brown, Decleor, and L'occitane and it seems the QVC Bobbi Brown stock is generally pretty fresh. I was surprised that my TSV hydra florals were made at least a year before I bought them. I would have thought TSVs were fresh stock. I'm still going by the sensory test though - if it doesn't look or smell nasty, it probably isn't.

 

[minim]

A point that Paula Begoun makes -

In order to make the Best Products list, a moisturiser must NOT be packaged in a jar

She also has some advice on when you should throw out a product:
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/when-should-i-throw-out-a-product.aspx

 

[Loveinamist]

Sue Devitt prods on Q must be 3 yrs old by now. Lord and Berry, ever seen those items shown, I haven't. Fran Wilson must be out of date now.