When should you throw away nail polish?
Photo of spilled nail polish bottle on pink background by Moose Photos on Pexels
Updated 2024.08.06
Wondering when to toss your polish?
Though some brands give best use dates, there is no firm, universally decided nail polish expiration date across the industry and some nail polish can last for years when stored properly.
That said, in our experience, not every polish will respond well to shelf time and you may need to cull your collection from time to time.
Deciding which polishes in your collection need to be tossed is a great activity for whenever you’re doing any cleaning or decluttering, perhaps for the New Year, new season or an upcoming move.
Signs to look for when it's time to throw away a polish bottle:
Photo of spilled nail polish bottle on pink background by Moose Photos on Pexels with text overlay When should you throw away nail polish?
Polish has faded significantly from the original color
Bottle is almost empty, brush can't reach
Polish has lost the special effect, i.e. thermal stopped working
Polish doesn’t: wear or apply as expected, adhere to your standards of excellence or ultimately bring you joy
When a polish gets thick or gloopy, add a little thinner to see if you can save it first. If polish does not reconstitute easily or at all, then toss it.
These signs can act as a reasonable guide as to when your polish has passed its best performance period.
When throwing away your polish, see if you can notice any patterns in what is getting tossed.
Pay attention to which brands, formula types, colors are getting thrown away to avoid these in the future. Also pay attention which bottles are empty so you can restock them.
Finally, nail polish is considered hazardous waste by the EPA, so before tossing your polish bottles, see if you can recycle your polish first.
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