Spring cleaning involves so much more than giving your home a good scrub
It’s also about taking stock of your belongings, reevaluating what’s important, and getting rid of what no longer serves you.
In this post, we’ll discuss spring cleaning through the lens of personal care. Together, we’ll cover key topics like reading product labels, understanding use-by dates, and more. As Chief Sustainability Officer here at Sky Organics, I also want to talk about the responsible disposal of expired beauty items.
Are you ready to dive in? Let’s make sustainability a core part of your personal care routine this spring.
Look for PAO and Expiration Dates
Your personal care routine is—well, personal. You may value simple, undiluted products made from certified organic ingredients, which are ideal for your well-being and the environment.
Another consideration is the shelf life of your favorite skincare items. Your health is sacred, and that makes looking for period after opening (PAO) and expiration dates a top priority. For best results, you should not use products past their prime.
PAO Dates
PAO dates refer to the amount of time a personal care product will stay safe and stable after first use. Unlike the expiration date, the PAO is determined by when you first open the skincare item. You’ll typically see it listed as an open jar symbol alongside a specific number of months.
Expiration Dates
Select beauty care products, primarily those considered over-the-counter drugs, such as sunscreens or flouride toothpastes, have expiration dates. Expiration dates are actual dates rather than a set number of months. They represent the product’s shelf life and indicate when the item should be discarded. The idea here is to highlight when the product is no longer safe (or effective) to use.
Both PAO and expiration dates matter, so pay close attention to these two indicators when you kick off your spring cleaning. Remember, spring cleaning doesn’t end with sustainability—it’s about safety too. This is why, at Sky Organics, you can find that PAO symbol on the back of every product label.
Discard Beauty Items Responsibly
Though you should always get rid of products by their PAO or expiration date, you can still be proactive. Here are some tips to maximize the shelf life and safety of your skincare items:
● Refrain from sharing your personal care products
● Keep containers and applicators clean
● Store items in a cool, dry place
● Avoid adding water or saliva to moisten a product (This can introduce bacteria.)
If a product is dry or expired, you’ll want to toss it responsibly. Thoroughly empty, clean, and reuse your favorite containers, and recycle the rest if you can. (This is easy when you invest in brands that use sustainable packaging materials!)
We truly want to make recycling simple, which is why we list recycling instructions on our website. And through our partnership with PACT Collective, you can simply mail in hard-to-recycle pumps, droppers, caps and more, and our partner will take care of the rest. We’ll even cover your collection and recycling expenses. Once you pay the $5 shipping fee, we’ll reimburse you with a Sky Organics discount code.
Talk about a great way to reduce waste and sustainably spring clean your skincare. And from enhancing our product labels to helping you recycle your empties, we’ll continue to spring clean our sustainability efforts too.
This is part of what makes being a Certified B Corporation so exciting. We have a whole network of partners holding us accountable. And we have you, our community, here with us.
Trust Sky Organics for Sustainable Skincare
At Sky Organics, we only source ingredients that come from nature. The vast majority of our products are certified to a USDA Organic Standard, and we never use harmful parabens or harsh chemicals. But our commitment to pure and potent beauty care goes far beyond that.
We pledge to be transparent about our product standards and clear about our shared goal to serve consumers like you.From our team’s perspective, there’s always room for improvement—and we’re constantly looking to do better. That’s why, over the last year or so, we’ve added valuable information to our product labels and website.
With us, there’s no guesswork; which means you’ll always know a product’s ingredients, PAO, and unique recycling instructions. With that, I hope you’ll take the time to spring clean your personal care routine this year. I invite you to do this with Sky Organics by your side.
Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine with Sky Organics!
Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine with Sky Organics!
Sky Organics is on a mission to share certified organic beauty care with all of humankind.
Visit our website for more information—and join our #SkyFam for 20% off your first order.
*Results from 4-week consumer perception study of 39 women
