We check the shelf life of cosmetics by code: 8 ways to decipher a barcode

Many women who care about their health carefully monitor the shelf life of the cosmetics they use. But sometimes it is difficult to do this, since the necessary data on the drug is not available for some reason. In such a situation, studying and decoding the markings on the packaging or container of a cosmetic product can help you out.

Barcode and batch codes are not just obscure markings on cosmetics packaging, which serve to help you pay for your purchase at the checkout. It is also a rich source of information about a cosmetic product. The journalists decided to find out what data is encrypted in the barcode and batch code, how to decipher it and how to find out the expiration date of the purchased drug using this marking.

Sites where you can decipher the code and access information about the product

Our experts have compiled a small list of Internet resources for the readers of the online edition, where you can get the most complete information about the products of various cosmetic brands:

1. checkcosmetic.net. The language of the site is English, but you can easily understand its functionality, even without having linguistic knowledge. In the search form there is a quick selection of a manufacturer, the manufacturer base is extensive, which is very convenient. The calculator determines the day, month and year of production. And also, it takes this information into account, calculating the date after which the cosmetic product becomes unusable. Users can access the resource both from PCs and from mobile phones (there is a special version of the site). Therefore, you can receive information about cosmetics wherever and whenever you want.

2. сheckfresh.com. The language used on this site is also English. But the resource has a big advantage – when you choose a brand, the program shows exactly how the batch code of this particular manufacturer looks like. And also – where the code is located, in what place of the package. This is very convenient, since many users simply do not know where to look for this data, how to identify it among other designations that are applied to the package. The resource also has a small drawback – there is no quick search by brands. Therefore, the user is forced to scroll through an impressive list before finding the manufacturer he needs.

3. Also for those who do not understand English, there is a Russian-language site Makeup review. In terms of functionality, it is similar to the checkcosmetic.net resource, except that there is no quick search by brands on the Russian site. All Internet services that help to find out the shelf life of cosmetics differ in the number of manufacturing companies, information about which can be obtained. Therefore, if you have not found the company you need on some site, try to search on others.

What is a barcode, where to find it, and what is it for

A barcode (line code) is a specific sequence of lines that have different thicknesses. At the bottom of the lines there are 13 numbers. If the barcode is deciphered, you can get information about in which country the goods were produced, at which particular enterprise. And also get data regarding the personal code of the product and whether it is original or a fake in front of you. The barcode is applied to the packaging of the goods, and also sometimes to the container (bottle, tube, jar) in which it is produced.

How to check the originality of a product by barcode:

1. Sum all even numbers that are indicated in the linear product code.

2. Multiply the sum of even numbers by 3.

3. Sum all odd numbers of a linear code except 13.

4. Add together the results obtained in steps 2 and 3.

5. You should have a two-digit number, the first digit of which needs to be removed.

6. Subtract the figure obtained in paragraph 5 from 10.

7. The number that is obtained at the output must match the last digit of the barcode. If it matches, then the product is original.

Is it possible to obtain any other information about the product from the barcode, for example, about the date of its manufacture and the expiration date? No you can not. This data can be obtained by decrypting another marking – the batch code.

What is batch code, how to decrypt it using an online calculator

Batch code, batch code is a method of transferring information exclusively between the manufacturer and the seller of the goods. Therefore, such marking does not tell the buyer anything. However, it is useful for the manufacturer, since it eliminates the need to withdraw the entire product from sale in the event that a particular batch turns out to be defective.

And yet the batch code, if deciphered, can be useful to the buyer. Quite often there are situations in which the user, when buying cosmetics, cannot find the date of manufacture and / or the expiration date on the packaging or correctly interpret the available information. This can happen for several reasons:

1. An unusual labeling format, which is typical for funds purchased on foreign sites or abroad. We are used to seeing the manufacturing date as 'date, month, year'. And in other countries it may look like 'month, date year'. Other options are also possible, hence the confusion.

2. Many foreign cosmetic brands do not write the date of manufacture to inform buyers at all. Instead, they indicate a code that is understandable only for the manufacturing company itself, as well as for the sellers of the goods. This mainly applies to products made in Europe and America, the shelf life of which exceeds 30 months.

3. In the process of transportation or storage of cosmetics, the marking was simply erased, as it was applied with low-quality ink.

4. The month and year of production were originally indicated on the sticker, but it is missing. This often happens when a sticker with information is placed not on the bottle itself, but on the box with cosmetics, on the upper cellophane film, which is removed after unpacking and is lost / disposed of immediately.

5. Domestic distributors, translating the instructions and information that are indicated on the original packaging, are required to indicate the month and year of the expiration date in the format familiar to us and in Russian. At the same time, the shelf life specified by the distributor and the one that is encrypted in the factory batch code for some reason does not always exactly match.

6. However, in most cases, there is such information on the packaging, it is simply difficult to understand it.

7. If you have access to the Internet and a couple of minutes of free time, you can decipher the batch code (batch code) and find out the shelf life of cosmetics using a special online calculator. This code differs from a barcode in that it contains data on the production date. Batch code is indicated on packaging and tubes of cosmetics along with a regular barcode.

8. Barcode example: 3 600530 794959 – these numbers are located under the characteristic vertical lines (sticks) on the packaging, which have different thicknesses.

9. Example batch code: 26K700 – this alphanumeric code can be found anywhere. The batch code can be found at the bottom of the package, at the bottom, at the seam, if we are talking about a drug that is produced in a plastic tube. But in most cases, the batch code is applied directly under the barcode.

Many thematic sites provide free access to an online calculator of the shelf life of cosmetics for all registered users and ordinary visitors to the resource.

How to check the expiration date of cosmetics on a calculator:

1. Enter the phrase 'Decipher the barcode, the validity of cosmetics' in the search bar of the Internet browser (search engine).

2. Follow one of the links that will be posted on the first issue page.

3. Enter batch code, which can consist of Latin letters and numbers from 1 to 0 (as opposed to a barcode, which contains only numbers).

4. Choose a brand. On specialized sites, you can check the validity period of any cosmetics of domestic and foreign manufacturers.

5. Click on the 'Calculate' button.

6. You will receive the following data about the cosmetics: 'The product is good until'. This line will contain the year and month. It is not difficult to decipher this information, for example, if 'December 2020' is indicated, this means that you can use cosmetics until 12/31/2020 inclusive. But this is only if you follow the storage conditions of the drug. If the product is stored incorrectly, the shelf life can be reduced by half or even three times.

Shelf life and suitability of new or opened cosmetics

Pay attention to one aspect of decoding the batch code – the information about the expiration date only applies to the period during which you can start using an unopened bottle of cosmetic product. What does this mean:

1. If it is indicated that the product is valid until December 2020, then if you bought it on 12/28/2020, then you have 4 days to use it – on December 28, 29, 30 and 31.

2. If it is indicated that the product is valid until December 2020, and you bought it in December 2019 and immediately started using it, then you can use the drug not until 12/31/2020, but as long as you can store this product after opening the package. In most cases, cosmetics that have already been used can be stored for 6-12 months. Accordingly, despite the fact that the shelf life is until 12/31/2020, in reality it will end by about the summer of 2020. The shelf life of cosmetic products after the integrity of the package is violated (PPO, period after opening) is indicated next to the image of a small jar with an open lid. There it is written how many months the used product can be stored – 6M, 12M, etc.

We also draw your attention to the following features of using the online calculator:

1. Some brands that produce cosmetics, perfume, and eau de toilette use the same code options for different product categories. But the shelf life for perfumes is usually longer than those encrypted in the code.

2. The algorithms used to decipher the codes and determine the production date of cosmetics are based on two factors. The first is information that is in the public domain (including on the packaging or container of the drug). The second is data, access to which is limited. They are privately transferred to service developers by manufacturers, distributors, consultants. Therefore, users cannot fully rely on the decryption results. The creators of thematic resources, in turn, cannot guarantee and do not guarantee the correctness, reliability, completeness and relevance of the information provided, which is embedded in the algorithms and issued as a check result.

In some cases, the calculator may give you information you do not need, and a message like “The entered code does not match the brand code.” This could be due to:

1. You bought a fake.

2. There is no decryption option for this type of code yet, or it has not been added to the site base. Try checking the code on a calculator on another site.

3. The date of manufacture and expiry date are determined by the system by mistake and are not displayed in the results column. Again, try to get the information you need on another thematic resource.

4. You are not entering batch code, but a code that does not contain the encrypted date of manufacture of cosmetics. For example, a barcode.

If you are sure that it is not the last three reasons for the error, then you really purchased a fake and you should not use such cosmetics, it is better to try to return it to the seller and get your money back.

How to check the expiration date of cosmetics immediately before buying

If you frequently use products of small or small brands, you can obtain a manufacturer-certified official decryption of codes from a cosmetics store consultant or retailer.

If the packaging does not have a production date and an expiration date, and the store cannot provide you with the necessary data, it is better to refrain from buying cosmetics or choose another outlet for this.

How to check the expiration date of cosmetics through the app

If you install an application on your smartphone that allows you to quickly check the expiration date of the drug, you will be able to receive information about the product right in the store before purchasing. There are a lot of such programs, they are developed both for the Android OS and for the OS iOS.

You can download the application in Google play and AppStore, choosing the best option. For example, for smartphones on Android, they often download 'Check your cosmetics', 'Cosmetic wizard'. For gadgets iOS, the 'Cosmetic Bag' program is popular. What is especially pleasant for users is that all these applications are free.

How to decipher the batch code and check the expiration date of cosmetics using the table

Some sites that have expiration calculators also post tables to help decipher batch codes. The table contains a list of manufacturers and brief instructions on how the code (or part of it) is decoded from different companies.

An example of a table with decoding batch codes:

You can go to a thematic site, find such a table and save it on your smartphone or computer. In this case, even if you do not have Internet access when you urgently need to know the expiration date of the product, you can still determine whether the product is expired or not.

How to decrypt the manufacturer's batch code if it is not on the site

If you bought cosmetics of an unknown or very small brand and it is not in the list of manufacturers on sites with online calculators, you can check the expiration date of the product directly from the manufacturer. To do this, you can:

1. Call the phone number indicated on the package for feedback.

2. Write to the manufacturer by e-mail.

3. If the contacts of the company are not indicated on the packaging, you can find them on the Internet.

The company is most likely to answer your question regarding the shelf life of the product, as manufacturers tend to try to accommodate their customers.

How to check the expiration date of cosmetics without batch codes

Imagine a situation – you urgently need to make sure that a cosmetic product is not expired, you cannot find a barcode or batch code on the packaging, but remember when you bought the drug approximately (you can count on the product being produced shortly before that). In this case, you can set the shelf life of unopened products, focusing on the standard shelf life of drugs that belong to different categories:

1. Perfumery products containing alcohols are stored for about five years.

2. Skin care products can be used for three years after the date of manufacture. However, creams, lotions, toners, and other cosmetic products made from natural ingredients can have a much shorter shelf life.

3. Sunscreens are usable for two years.

4. Liquid, cream, and gel makeup products (such as mascara) can be used for 6-36 months. Dry decorative cosmetics (powder, blush, eye shadow, bronzer) can be used for 2-5 years and longer.

However, it should be borne in mind that these terms depend on many factors – on the storage location, ambient temperature, package tightness and composition of the drug. The indicated periods are relevant only for unopened packages of goods. As soon as air and moisture begin to penetrate into the bottle or tube, a new countdown begins – the period of use of the product after opening the package. We remind you that it is indicated as an open round jar on the bottom or wall of a tube with cosmetics.

Why decrypt and check the expiration date of cosmetics by code

If you get your hands on cosmetics that do not have a shelf life, or if you have been using the product for so long that the markings on it have already been erased, it is recommended to check the information about the shelf life. If this is not done and the drug is used, which in theory may already be expired, you can get serious complications of this nature:

1. Redness, persistent irritation of the skin.

2. Dermatitis with extensive eruptions.

3. Allergic reactions of varying degrees of complexity.

4. Loss of hair on the head or eyelash hairs (if it is cosmetics for these areas of the body).

5. Problems with nails (in case it is a cosmetic product for the care of nail plates).

6. Infection of the skin, the occurrence of non-healing foci of inflammation.

If spoiled cosmetics are used for the face, this is especially risky. First, you risk damaging your appearance for a long time. Secondly, the tissues of the face are close to the structures of the head – to the brain, for example. Local infections in this area are extremely dangerous.

Also, it will not hurt to check the expiration date of cosmetics if you buy a product for a promotion or at a sale. After all, domestic stores often sin by selling expired goods or products that have expired, masking their actions under the guise of various discount events. True, the code can only be deciphered using the mobile Internet, while in the store and holding a specific cosmetic product in his hands.

Cosmetics and perfumes are non-refundable items after purchase. Even if the product is out of date, the likelihood that you will be able to return it back to the seller is very low, and the return process is long, time consuming and unpleasant. It is much easier to protect yourself from buying low-quality or expired goods in advance by decrypting the batch code before making a payment.