They don’t call it Spring cleaning for nothing! With the changing of the seasons and the sun FINALLY gracing us with its presence, now is the time to Marie-Kondo your beauty cabinet. It can be difficult to know when to part with some of your favourite products, but also empowering to know that you are doing everything possible to give your skin the love it deserves. Here’s our top tips on where to start:

Complete an expiration date audit

Of course, not all beauty products have visible expiration dates. The general rule – if a product is unopened, its shelf life is approximately two years. If it has been opened, one year.

TIP: Start by taking EVERYTHING out of your cupboard. This then becomes a good opportunity to clean your shelves, before you make a start on what to keep and what to toss.

Check ingredients

Know what you're putting on your skin. Like when a product says TEA, they're not talking about the good kind! And Methyl and Ethyl aren’t two cute grandma’s sipping tea on the porch. They’re preservatives! What seems harmless can actually cause more damage than good to your skin and to the planet.

Here are three nasty ones to look out for (and bin!) while you’re doing your spring clean:

PARABENS – These are preservatives used to prolong product shelf life.

Look out for:

Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl & Propyl

ALUMINIUM – This is a metal often used in antiperspirant deodorants.

Look out for:

Aluminium salts

Aluminium compounds

Aluminium chlorohydrate

Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY 

ETHANOLAMINE COMPOUNDS – This is a chemical group of amino acids and alcohols that is often used to control pH levels and to create foams.

Look out for:

DEA, MEA and TEA

Bin the products you simply do not use.