What is PAO and Why is it Important in Skincare?

We are now approaching the season of spring, a time for new beginnings, a time where many people take the change in the season as an opportunity to refresh their wardrobes or clear their shelves of old products, to make room for new experiences and new opportunities. Spring cleaning not only helps you to keep your home tidy and clear out any clutter, but also look back at your well-loved items from the past seasons.

This brings us to the concept of “skincare empties”. What a great feeling to look at all the products you’ve been loving so much that you’ve finished them all, and to learn which ones you would rather move on from. When you have truly used a product until the very last drop, you are much more likely to have in-depth knowledge of how the product works, how it feels and how it smells, the best way to use it and how often to use it. While everyone may have slightly different experiences with the same products, you will know how it works best for you. It is somewhat gratifying to have used a product until it is empty, and to be able to make the decision of repurchasing or trying something new.

Some of us may have certain products that we like to keep consistent in our routines, and other products that we like to change up every season or whenever the product is finished. For example, certain products might be more suitable for the cold and dry winter months, while others are better suited for the hot and humid summer months. At the end of the day, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you and your skin!

Another crucial factor to keep in mind whilst doing your spring cleaning is to take a look at the “period after opening”, or “PAO” dates of your products. The PAO date refers to how long you can use a product after it has been opened. This is often shown on the packaging of the product, with a little tub icon that indicates how many months the product will remain effective from the moment it has been opened. The PAO differs from the expiration date in that the expiration date indicates how long the product will remain effective if it remains unopened. From the moment the product is opened, you should move your attention to the PAO date rather than the expiration date.

As shown in the graphic above, the PAO date is depicted with a number to convey how long the product will remain effective after opening. It is important to be aware of when you have opened your skincare products in order to know when they are past their PAO date, and are no longer effective. A good trick to keep track of this is to make a note of when the product was opened, either on the product packaging itself or in a separate note. This way, if you have many different products that have all been opened at different times, you can keep note of when each product will be passing its PAO date.