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Vintage fashion may be fabulous, but old makeup is putting women's health and beauty at risk, according to new research that has found the tradition of collecting antiques extends to cosmetics and toiletries.
Show us a woman's handbag, say experts from the College of Optometrists and we will show you a 10-year-old lipstick, a five-year-old tube of mascara and a jar of rancid moisturiser, all teeming with bacteria.
"It's ironic that women spend so much time and money on cosmetics to make themselves look beautiful, and yet in using it, they are making themselves vulnerable to infections that are anything but attractive," said Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to the college.
The survey found that while women are keen to experiment with new cosmetics, they are less keen on throwing out the old. This morning, one in five women in her late thirties or forties will have put on her makeup using a product over five years old.
"All food has an expiration date and people don't think twice about throwing away milk when that date comes," said Blakeney.
"The makeup you use should be as fresh as the food you consume. But women keep their makeup for many years, not to mention sharing it with friends and applying it in ways that could lead to serious damage."
Mascara should be thrown away after three to six months, said Blakeney, because the pumping action of the brush in the dispenser can drive bacteria deep down into the product. Dangers, however, lurk elsewhere - foundation gets absorbed in the skin while lipstick enters the mouth when you eat.
"I had a client only last week who has suffered from red, watery eyes for years. It was only by chance that she stopped wearing mascara for a month and realised the problem cleared up. Now she throws away her mascara every three months and her eyes are completely perfect," she said.
"Perhaps it is because women are now constantly topping up their makeup bags with new products that they never actually finish any older products. These older cosmetics lie around for years, each one a little hothouse for bacteria."
Many of the best-loved girly traditions are put at risk by the College's findings. Getting together to pile on the slap before a night out is fraught with danger.
"Mascara wands can harbour the bacteria that cause conjunctivitis. If a group of friends are using an infected wand, it is almost inevitable that the infection will be spread.
"It is easy to scratch a cornea if you are trying to apply mascara on the move, and that leaves you vulnerable to all sorts of nasty infections. If, in addition, your mascara wand is bustling with bacteria, contamination is inevitable."
So how can you tell if your makeup is past its best? "Treat it like food - sniff it," recommends Carol Dukes, co-founder of www.thinknatural.com website. "Anything that looks, smells or tastes bad, is bad, so trash it."
Dukes also recommends keeping lids screwed on tight and keeping products out of sunlight.
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