If you're going to use Korean cosmetics, then it's important to know how to read expiration dates on the products. In an episode of a popular Korean beauty television show, After School's Beauty Bible, that aired on May 9, 2014, the cast covered this very topic.
If you want to watch this show, you can find all the episodes on YouTube on the KBS World TV channel. English subtitles are built into each episode.
One of the most important things is to always check the expiration dates on your beauty products. Basically you will find two types of expiration dates: (1) the date it can be kept before opening, and (2) the date it can be used after opening.
For those of you that can read Korean, here is the chart that summarizes what was discussed in the show.
For those of you who cannot read Korean, we have translated the chart into English for you.
Keep in mind that these are just guidelines. Every product is different, so it is important to check the box or the product for the individual manufactured or expiration date.
One thing about Korean beauty products is that the date on the product can be EITHER the manufactured date OR the expiration date. You can typically find the manufactured date or the expiration date on the bottom of the product.
If you see the Korean word "제조," then it is the manufactured date.
If you see the Korean word "까지," then it is the expiration date.
If you cannot see Korean font on your computer, please look at the Korean spelling in the image below. The top one is the manufactured date and the bottom one is the expiration date.
For tubes, you can find these kinds of dates at the top of the tube.
If you ever see the letter "M" next to what seems like some random numbers, this is actually the manufactured date listed as day, month, year. Juyeon used her birthday as an example.
Lizzy wondered what "EXP" stood for, but I'm guessing you all already know that that is for the expiration date. She also wondered what the weird code was on the bottom of "foreign" products (non-Korean products).
If you ever see a weird code on your product like the one below, you can actually input this batch code into a website to retrieve the exact expiration dates. The websites mentioned in the episode include Check Cosmetic, Cosmetics Wizard, and Check Fresh.
Now you know everything there is to know about expiration dates and manufactured dates on Korean cosmetics!
Got some products that are going to expire soon? No worries! In this same episode, Juyeon and Lizzy covered how to recycle your soon-to-expire beauty products. Check it out in our next blog post!
MISHIBOX Team
Author