Skincare packaging can carry two different date signals, and mixing them up leads people to throw out a perfectly good product or keep using one for longer than they should. The first is a printed date. Under the EU cosmetics rules it is called the date of minimum durability: the date until which the product, "stored under appropriate conditions, will continue to fulfil its initial function". It comes after a small symbol or the words "best used before the end of".
The second is the small open-jar icon with a number and an "M", such as 12M. On its sunscreen page, the NHS describes it as a symbol of an open jar, an M and a number, which shows how many months the sunscreen will last once it's been opened. The EU regulation explains why some packs carry only this icon. A printed date is not mandatory when the minimum durability is more than 30 months. Such products must instead show the period after opening for which the product is safe and can be used without any harm to the consumer. So under those EU rules, a cream that lasts more than 30 months unopened can carry just the jar icon and no printed date. The rule doesn't apply where durability after opening isn't relevant: single-use products, products not at risk of deterioration, and products that don't open.
A study from the University of Urbino in Italy looked at what happens once a product is in use. It tested 91 cosmetics in three states: intact, in use, and nearly finished. About 10.6% of the bath foams, shampoos and liquid soaps in the sample were contaminated with bacteria. The authors concluded that contaminated cosmetics are relatively uncommon, but that some products were unable to suppress the growth of several micro-organisms and represent a potential health hazard. Preservatives, in other words, don't guarantee that every product stays clean once it's in use.
Your eyes are also worth trusting. For sunscreen, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says any obvious changes in the color or consistency of the product mean it's time to purchase a new bottle, whatever the date says. That seems a sensible check for other creams too.
Storage affects the timeline. The AAD advises against leaving sunscreen in direct sunlight or somewhere hot such as inside a car, because heat speeds up the rate at which the ingredients break down. If a sunscreen has no expiry date, it suggests writing the date you bought it on the bottle.
Writing the date you opened something on the bottle with a marker is a small habit that removes the guesswork entirely. this contact form is a reasonable way to ask a supplier for the manufacture date on a specific batch if the packaging doesn't show one clearly.
Is all-natural the best type of acne therapy?
Freshness is one question. Whether a natural product works on acne is another, and it helps to look at what a trial actually tested. Take a 2011 single-blind pilot study of a resveratrol gel. Resveratrol is a plant compound found in grapes and other plants. Twenty people with acne applied the gel daily to the right side of the face for 60 days, and a plain gel without resveratrol to the left side as a control. Acne scores fell by 53.75% on average on the resveratrol side, against 6.10% on the control side. None of the patients had side effects.
The researchers also checked the gel itself. They confirmed that the resveratrol stayed stable after 30 days stored at 4°C, which fits the theme above: an active ingredient is only as good as its condition when you use it.
Twenty people is a small number, though, and the authors call their result a starting point for testing in a larger group of patients. So the honest answer to the title is no, not by default. A natural ingredient may turn out to help, but being natural doesn't make it the best choice.
The NHS acne page suggests starting with skincare and make-up products that are non-comedogenic (this means they will not clog pores). It also suggests trying treatments such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, with a pharmacist's advice. It warns not to scrub your skin, because this can irritate it and make acne worse. See a GP if you've tried treating acne yourself and it isn't getting better, or if the spots are deep, painful or causing scars. Whatever you choose, the AAD notes that it may take several weeks to a few months before you see a difference.
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This article is general information, not medical advice. If acne is severe, scarring or not improving, speak to a pharmacist, GP or dermatologist.
References
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 19 (labelling) and recital 48. legislation.gov.uk · EUR-Lex
- NHS. Sunscreen and sun safety. nhs.uk
- Campana R, Scesa C, Patrone V, Vittoria E, Baffone W. Microbiological study of cosmetic products during their use by consumers: health risk and efficacy of preservative systems. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2006;43(3):301-6. PMID 16910936
- American Academy of Dermatology. Sunscreen FAQs. aad.org
- Fabbrocini G, Staibano S, De Rosa G, et al. Resveratrol-containing gel for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a single-blind, vehicle-controlled, pilot study. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2011;12(2):133-41. PMID 21348544
- NHS. Acne. nhs.uk/conditions/acne
- American Academy of Dermatology. Acne: Tips for managing. aad.org