Never have so many cosmetic products been sold as today. Makeup bases, concealers, profilers, lipsticks, shadows… but also eye contours, moisturizers, sunscreens, creams with all types of active ingredients: to reduce blemishes, hide redness, reduce expression wrinkles or provide an extra shot of luminosity to the face. The issue is that these types of items not only fill the bathrooms of adults, but are also making a “too big” space in the toiletries of teenage girls, who are increasingly obsessed with 'skincare', which is like beauty routines are known on social networks. Such is the furor among the youngest for this type of products that experts warn of a worrying increase in cases of cosmeticorexia in adolescents; a type of disorder that can be defined as the compulsive purchase of cosmetics or the addiction to certain active ingredients to slow the passage of time.
«The problem is not that we worry about taking care of our faces since we were children. It is good that we are aware from a young age of the importance of keeping our skin clean and protected from the sun, for example. What is happening now is that teenagers get carried away by what they see on social media and buy products that are not only not suitable for their skin type, but can also cause allergic reactions or trigger and worsen acne breakouts, especially all when the cosmetics are of poor quality,” warns dermatologist Paloma Borregón, medical director of the Kalosia clinic (Madrid).
Anti-wrinkle for 12 years?
Experts insist that teenage skin only needs two things: hydration and sun protection. «And if they have pimples then you can introduce ingredients to help regulate sebum production such as salicylic acid or some alpha hydroxy acid, but nothing more. Neither eye contours, nor products with retinol, nor anything similar,” clarifies Dr. Borregón. The dermatologist regrets that many teenagers are “becoming slaves to beauty before even having problems to fight against. I see girls in consultations who put on anti-wrinkle creams when they are 12 years old. But what wrinkles do they want to combat at that age!
The workers in cosmetics stores confirm this obsession of the new generations with beauty products, “which most of the time they don't even need. A few days ago I helped a girl of about 14 years old who wanted a cream that had gone very viral on TikTok. When I told her that this product was not for her skin type, she started crying. Every day we see groups of teenagers spending a lot of money on makeup and creams just because they see them on social networks,” says the saleswoman at one of the cosmetics chains most coveted by 'teenagers'.
The importance of the expiration date
Dermatologist Ana Molina says that every time she sees on social media the dressing tables of 'influencers' full of half-used containers of creams, dozens of open makeup bases, bronzers of all kinds, shadow palettes of a thousand colors and others. So many lipsticks can only think “of the microbiota festival that is being organized in those drawers, because there are bacteria there to feed all of Humanity. Not to mention the dirt that accumulates in the sponges, brushes and brushes that are used to apply all these products,” warns the author of the book 'Healthy Skin, Beautiful Skin' (Ed. Paidós).
And this not only happens due to the compulsive purchase of cosmetics, but also because their expiration date is rarely respected. What's more, the latest studies warn that nine out of ten Spanish women use expired makeup products and creams daily. «A foundation that is already out of date will not look the same, it may form lumps, have a different texture and even smell stale. With food, for example, we are quite clear that we must respect expiration dates to avoid poisoning. However, the same does not happen with cosmetic products, which we can use for years without taking this information into account,” warns the dermatologist. An expired concealer, eye shadow or serum can cause everything from infections (conjunctivitis, styes…) to herpes or outbreaks of dermatitis and acne.
Write down the day you open it
Therefore, when we buy a cosmetic we have to look at two different dates: the expiration date of the product and the expiration date once opened, represented by the drawing of a bottle with the lid raised. If a 6 appears inside, it means that that cosmetic expires six months after it is opened; if it is a 9, after nine months, and if it is a 24, after two years. Dr. Ana Molina advises writing down the day we open it and explains some general guidelines on the approximate duration of cosmetics in good condition:
The ones that last the longest are powders: bronzers, mattifiers and blushes can last up to two years in good condition if we maintain adequate hygiene standards.
Liquid-based cosmetics tend to last less: as they contain water in their formula, they are more likely to become contaminated. Makeup bases and lipsticks, for example, usually last a maximum of twelve months, although there are some that last longer.
Be very careful with the products you apply to your eyes: dermatologists and ophthalmologists advise taking special caution with this type of cosmetics because they can cause significant infections.
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