TikTokers have been tossing the Kosas Revealer Concealer as quickly as the makeup product first went viral on the platform. According to the Reddit post, one consumer noticed a “blue cheese smell” after using the concealer for about nine months. Several weeks later, after purchasing a new Kosas concealer, the poster revisited the old one and claimed it had “black spots.”
A representative for Kosas pointed NBC News to its website for more information on the preservatives the brand uses, which they say are “effective preservatives and antimicrobial stabilizers which prevent against, mold, yeast, and pathogens.” That is, until a certain point. It’s important to always check the “point after opening” date, or PAO, that every makeup product is marked with, and the PAO for the Revealer Concealer is six months, meaning that the concealer could expire around that time.
Per NBC News, one cosmetic chemist, Javon Ford, shared in a TikTok that the two preservatives in the concealer, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, are not usually considered “broad spectrum” preservatives. Ford explains that while they can be good at fighting mold, they could be less effective at combating bacteria growth, and do not work in an environment with a pH level over five. The formula is also absent of another ingredient, a chelator, that can assist preservatives in their performances. Ford says it’s best to follow a simple rule of thumb: “If it smells off, or it looks off, it is off. Toss it.”
Post source: The List
