Authentic beauty · COD across Nepal · NPR pricing
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Buying guides
Heat, humidity and a Kathmandu windowsill shorten a product's life. The signs that matter, and the ones that do not.
A serum that worked beautifully last winter can turn on you by monsoon. Products do not expire only because of time. Heat, humidity, sunlight and dirty fingers all speed it up, and Kathmandu gives you all four.
The printed date is the shelf life before opening. The small jar symbol with a number, like 6M or 12M, is how long the product is good for after you open it, whichever comes first. Water-based products depend on preservatives, so that second date matters.
Sunscreen, vitamin C serums and anything water-based with actives. Vitamin C oxidises and turns brown. Sunscreen separates and stops giving the protection on the label. Mascara should go after around three months because of the eye infection risk. Powders last longer if you keep them dry and clean.
The coolest, darkest cupboard you have is better than a pretty shelf in sunlight. If you decant into smaller bottles, use clean ones and label them. Do not top up an old bottle with a new product, since you lose track of both dates.
No. Protection drops and the formula may separate. Sunscreen is the wrong place to save money.
If it has been stored cool and closed, and the smell, colour and texture are unchanged, many people do. Any change at all means throw it out.
Usually shorter, because they often rely on fewer preservatives. Treat them with more care, not less.
Keep them out of the sun and away from the kitchen. A closed cupboard in the coolest room is enough for most products.
Open every product, smell it, look at the colour and squeeze a little onto your hand. Replace anything that has changed, separated, changed texture or smells sour. Check the sunscreen first, then anything water-based with an active, then mascara. Powders can stay if they are dry and clean.
Write the opening month on the label of new products as you start them. It takes a second, and it turns an anxious guess into a fact you can check.
The coolest, darkest cupboard in the house, away from the kitchen and away from windows. Bathroom shelves seem convenient, but a warm, humid bathroom is the worst place for anything with preservatives or vitamin C. If your bathroom has no window, keep only the products you use daily there and store the rest elsewhere.
Buying smaller sizes more often is often better value in this climate, even when the per-millilitre price looks higher, because you will finish the product before heat and humidity get to it.
No. Protection drops and the formula may separate. Sunscreen is the wrong place to save money.
If it has been stored cool and closed, and the smell, colour and texture are unchanged, many people do. Any change at all means throw it out.
Usually shorter, because they often rely on fewer preservatives. Treat them with more care, not less.
Keep them out of the sun and away from the kitchen. A closed cupboard in the coolest room is enough for most products.
Written by the GLAMO Nepal editorial team. General information only — for a medical concern, please see a dermatologist or your doctor.
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