Opening Lines: It's About Time
France stirs up controversy over a new warning logo.
By Jennifer Kwok, EditorWhen it comes to lip gloss, I’m a fickle customer. I’m always experimenting with new colors while older, once-loved shades get thrown into my bottomless makeup drawer. By now, this drawer is overflowing with containers of partially used glosses. I have no idea how old they are. All I know is that I really used to like them.
Lip gloss addicts like me are a perfect target for Cargo Cosmetics’ new Timestrip lip gloss. The cosmetics brand, which always puts thought into functional packaging, has partnered with Timestrip to incorporate a time-sensitive label in its new lip gloss bottle caps. This handy little label lets customers know when lip gloss has expired, taking out all of the guesswork. (See the Case History article on page 16 to read about how this technology works.)
Many people know that mascara should only be kept for a short period of time. I’m not sure how this rule got engrained in me, but I’ve heard three months touted as the maximum window during which a mascara should be used.
Most people, however, don’t think the same way about lip gloss. As Hana Zalzal, founder of Cargo Cosmetics, says, “I think that people are pretty disciplined when it comes to throwing out old mascara. With mascara, you know more easily when it gets old because it gets dried up and clumps. Lip gloss, however, doesn’t necessarily give you the same clues—at least, not right away. But because you’re applying it to the mouth, lip gloss gets introduced to bacteria frequently. I think a whole education process about lip glosses and expiration dates is necessary.”
Timestrip, developed by the UK company of the same name, may help to provide such education—and make cosmetics use safer in the process. Technologies such as Timestrip have already been used in other industries, including food and household products. Cargo is the first company to use Timestrip on a cosmetic package. We’ll have to wait and see if more beauty brands step up to the plate.
Timestrip points to other beauty products that its technology would benefit: mascara and eye liner pencils, which typically have shorter recommended shelf lives than other cosmetics; liquid foundation; and natural and organic products that have fewer preservatives and, hence, shorter shelf lives.
I’m not sure whether Timestrip will cure me of my pack-rat habits. After all, I hate the look of an empty drawer. However, it may make me feel guiltier about hanging on to old cosmetics. And, believe me, that’s something.