i recall reading someone here might know how to read the numbers on the bbw bottles to figure out the expiration....

where are the numbers?

how do u figure out the dates?

i have a Warm vanilla sugar lotion that's i've had for a WHILE and it's beggining to look a litle questionable...

any help is hoped for !!

thank you

Coralann

There are 2 different ways to read batch codes.

One is the 1st way I've heard about, and if your lotion is older, it will probably follow this pattern. For instance, my VS Passionate Kisses has a the code "3445B3B". That means it was made on the 344th day of 2005.

I think they changed the batch coding sometime last yr. or so where it's the reverse of this. For instance, my Frozen Daiquiri lotion has the code "7064G1B1". This means it was made on the 64th day of 2007.

hhm on the bottom of the WVS it says

1234B4A2
i'm guessing made on 123rd day of 2004?

so then what would be the date u figure when it goes bad?

ooh hey i found this on realsimple.com
sound about right?

Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.


Bar soap
18 months to 3 years


Bath gel, body wash
3 years


Bath oil
1 year


Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months


Body lotion
3 years


Conditioner
2 to 3 years


Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date


Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year


Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years


Foundation, oil-based
2 years


Foundation, water-based
3 years


Hair gel
2 to 3 years


Hair spray
2 to 3 years


Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years


Lipstick
2 years


Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months


Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date


Nail polish
1 year


Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely


Perfume
1 to 2 years


Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years


Shampoo
2 to 3 years


Shaving cream
2 years or more


Tooth-whitening strips
13 months


Wash'n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out

For additional information, see:
Long-Lasting Beauty Solutions
Best Nail-Polish Removers
Written by Maya Kukes and Lisa Smith
March 2004

some good info there, im going to keep that list, i always forget what to throw out sometimes.

Thanks Coralann, that is very helpful info.

I have wondered about lip balms before. I will open them sometimes and they have absolutely no smell/taste left. So this is good info. to have.

Thanks for posting this info Coralann.
You don't have to go by those dates strictly though. Right?

I have fragrances that are 10 years old, and still good.
I store all my fragrances in a cool, dark and dry place.
I also have a couple of nail polishes that are super old (Chanel and Guerlain), but I probably should toss them, eventhough they still seem to be fine.
Some products like sunscreen do lose their properties after awhile so I don't mess with those.

I agree Fryl. I think if it still smells good, I wouldnt throw it away. Especially fragrances.

I have had several things go bad over the years, but it was obvious they had gone bad. I recently started putting dates on the bottom of my bottles. I am going to try and use up the oldest first. I highly doubt that will last long, but its worth a shot.

I have to agree that perfumes last longer than 1-2 yrs., as do splashes.

I strictly adhere to a rule for skincare & suncare items; I toss them out if they're 2 yrs. old.

I only am strict about tossing out mascara after 3-4 months, toothbrushes 6 months, and bath poofs 6 months.

Someone at my work brought in an Iced Pineapple lotion with a date of 2/9/96 on the bottom. YUCK! It smelled rancid.

Anan, it's better to replace your toothbrush every three months.

Fryl, does that apply to the Sonicare toothbrushes too? I have always replaced regular toothbrushes every 3 months, but the Sonicare says to replace every 6 months.

Thanks for your help our little resident in house Dentist.

Gizmo, if your manual says 6 months then that should be fine. It's different for Oral B (also 3 months).
But if the bristles aren't straight any longer it's time for a replacement. I've never had a Sonicare, I did test one out but it about tore up my gums with hardly putting any pressure.

Thanks Fryl

It took me a few days to get used to the Sonicare. My gums were definitely sore at first.

You know Fryl, I thought it was 3 months, but I wasn't quite sure when I typed it. I couldn't remember if I did it 3 or 6 months

In that case....I'm about due to get out a new one! Now that's out of the way, I've got these widsom teeth issues.....

There's another way to tell on some products. Read the paragraph on this page that begins with "The Food and Drug Administration..."

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1614350,00.html

Some products have a jar symbol that tell you how long it's good after the first opening. For example, if you have a bottle of lotion with a jar symbol that says "36M," then it would be good for 36 months, or 3 years. If you're having trouble finding this symbol, it's usually on the back or bottom, wherever the maufacturing information and/or ingredients are listed.

I don't think a lot of products can really "hurt" you after expiring, they're probably just not as fresh and probably don't have the full effect. For instance, I've used expired BBW antibacterial soaps and rubbing alcohol without any harm, but they probably weren't killing as many germs as before expiring.

Thanks Wendy for the article, it was informative as well.

I am definitely going to check some of my bottles for that jar symbol. I am sure I have seen it in the past, but never knew what it meant.

You're welcome, Gizmo!

I've met some people who write birth dates on their products just in case they forget. They either write down when they bought it or decipher the code and write it in plain English on the bottle. I don't know about you, but translating the codes all the time is kind of a pain to me. I look at them, translate them, then write the translation on the bottle to make it easier on myself in the future.