Velvet Petalia

Makeup expiry tracker & beauty shelf tools

Period after opening

PAO expiry tracker for makeup & skincare

Note the day you open a product and the number in its open-jar symbol. Your shelf sorts itself into expired, due soon and fine, and stays on this device. Jump to your shelf.

Add a product

Period after opening: the number by the open jar

Pick the number printed beside the symbol, such as 12M for 12 months.

Replace by30 Oct 2027Fine in about 12 months, 12 months after today

My shelf

Nothing tracked yet.

The open jar means
“good for 12 months
once opened”

That little drawing of an open jar on the back of a pack is the period after opening (PAO) symbol. The number beside it, such as 6M or 12M, is how many months the maker says the product stays good once you have opened it. EU rules require it on products that keep for more than 30 months unopened.

Nothing is saved here until you add a product. To see how the tracker works first, load a few sample products; they are marked as samples and you can remove them in one click.

My beauty shelf: replace-by dates

Saved only in this browser, and shared with the beauty inventory. Export a copy to back it up or move it to another device.

How to use the PAO tracker

Turn a product over and look for the small drawing of an open jar with a number beside it, such as 6M or 12M. That is its period after opening: the months it stays good once opened. Products that keep for 30 months or less unopened show a "best before the end of" date or an hourglass instead.

  1. Name it and, if you like, pick its type. The type groups your shelf and, when a pack has no symbol, offers a cautious period from our makeup expiry chart.
  2. Enter the day you opened it. Tick "Not opened yet" for backups: their clock starts when you open them.
  3. Pick the number by the open jar. Choose Other for less common periods such as 5M or 30M.
  4. Add any date printed on the pack. Sunscreens carry an expiry date, for example. The tracker uses whichever date comes first.

The shelf puts expired products first, then those due soon, then the rest. "Due soon" means within 30 days unless you change it under the list. The replace-by date is the last good day, and months are counted on the calendar, so a 3M mascara opened on 30 November is due on the last day of February.

Worked example: you open a foundation marked 6M on 30 October 2026. Six months later is 30 April 2027, so it shows as fine until 30 March, due soon from 31 March and expired from 1 May. Download a reminder and your calendar will nudge you a week before.

Good to know

The PAO is the maker's window for a product kept as directed. Heat speeds things up: the FDA notes that heat can break down preservatives and lets bacteria and fungi grow faster, so a lipstick that spent the summer in a hot car may be past its best long before its date.

Eye products deserve the most care. The FDA says makers usually recommend replacing mascara two to four months after purchase, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology advises throwing away eye makeup after three months, and straight away if you get an eye infection while using it.

This is general guidance, not medical advice. If a product stings, causes a rash or you develop an eye infection, stop using it and speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

Sources

More for your beauty shelf

Guidance, value and a full list of what you own.

Questions

What does the open jar with 12M on my product mean?

It is the period after opening (PAO) symbol. The number tells you how many months the product stays safe and works as intended after you first open it: 12M means 12 months, 6M means six. In the EU it is required on cosmetics that keep for more than 30 months unopened.

Does the PAO count from the day I bought it or the day I opened it?

From the day you open it. Before that, the unopened shelf life applies, which in the EU is either more than 30 months or shown as a "best before the end of" date. That is why the tracker lets you mark backups as not opened yet and starts their clock only when you open them.

My product has no symbol and no date. What should I enter?

No US law requires cosmetics to carry an expiry date, so many products have neither. Pick the product type and the tracker suggests a cautious period from our expiry chart, based on the FDA, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and two health-system guides that quote dermatologists. Change it if you find a symbol later.

Where is my list saved, and can I move it to another phone?

Only in this browser's local storage on this device; nothing you enter is sent to us. To move it, use Export JSON and then Import on the other device. Clearing your browser data, or using a private window, removes the list, so export a copy now and then.

How do the calendar reminders work?

Reminder buttons download an .ics file with an all-day event on the replace-by date and an alert at the time you choose under the list. Calendar apps such as Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook can import .ics files. Download them again after you change a date, as the file does not update itself.

Is it dangerous to use makeup after its PAO date?

Not automatically, but the maker no longer vouches for it. The FDA explains that preservatives break down over time, letting bacteria and fungi grow, which matters most around the eyes. This is general guidance, not medical advice: if a product irritates your skin or you get an eye infection, stop using it and see a doctor or pharmacist.