Question 1

Are Next mystery beauty boxes selling expired products as new?

Accepted Answer

In my experience with these two boxes, yes—at least some of the items were expired or far older than I’d expect for something sold as “new”. One set of eye masks had an expiry date printed on it and it was already expired (February 2024). I also found multiple products that were around 3–5 years old when I checked the batch codes.

Question 2

How do you check the expiry date of makeup using batch codes?

Accepted Answer

I use CheckFresh.com: you pick the brand, then type in the batch code from the packaging. It won’t work for every brand, but it does cover a lot of the big ones. It gave me manufacturing dates/age for items like Too Faced, Pixi, Elemis and The Ordinary in these boxes.

Question 3

What did you get in the Next Makeup Mystery Box and were the items in date?

Accepted Answer

My box had a Too Faced Better Than Sex eyeliner, a Pixi Glowy Powder, a Bloom and Blossom lip balm, and a mini Benefit FanFest mascara. When I checked, the eyeliner was over four years old and the Pixi product was around five years old. The mascara was the “youngest” at about 2 years 9 months, which is still pretty old for a brand new box.

Question 4

What was in the Next Skincare Mystery Box and what was expired?

Accepted Answer

I got Skimono eye masks, Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream, two The Ordinary serums (including the Multi-Peptide Eye Serum), and a Patchology Lip Service treatment. The Skimono eye masks had an expiry date on-pack and they were already expired (Feb 2024). Elemis and one of the Ordinary products were showing as made in January 2023, which is past that typical 2–3 year unopened window I’m comfortable with.

Question 5

Is it safe to use expired makeup or skincare?

Accepted Answer

It’s your choice, but I personally won’t—especially not around the eyes or lips. Over time preservatives can break down, bacteria can grow, and ingredients can oxidise or separate, which can mean reactions or reduced performance. A four-year-old liquid eyeliner is a hard no from me.

Question 6

What is the PAO symbol on cosmetics and how is it different from an expiry date?

Accepted Answer

PAO is the little open-jar symbol that tells you how many months you have to use a product after opening (like 12M). Expiry dates are usually printed when the shelf life is under 30 months, and they’re more of a clear “use by” date. In this unboxing, the eye masks had a straight-up expiry date printed on them, which made it really obvious.

Question 7

Can you return Next beauty boxes if the products are out of date?

Accepted Answer

Next’s site says you can’t return for hygiene reasons if unwrapped/unsealed unless faulty, and I absolutely class expired products as faulty. I’m returning both boxes to Next because I’m not putting expired skincare or old makeup on my face. If you’ve bought one, check everything quickly so you can deal with it straight away.

Selling EXPIRED products as NEW?! Unboxing Mystery Beauty Boxes from Next ✨ | MISS BOUX

🛍️ Products Mentioned (9)

Check Fresh

Next Beauty Boxes

If you want to try Tails, get your first box FREE & 50% off extras via this link

Rstyle Product

Tidd Product

Tidd Product

Tidd Product

Blog

Music by Mark Generous - Meganne

About This Video

Frequently Asked Questions

🎬 More from MissBoux