Cosmetics and Skincare Opened-Date Tracker

Who this is for

When each product was opened, and when it is due out. Every product gets a line with the date you opened it and the months shown on its own pack, so the days left can be counted down and anything that has changed is noted before it goes on your face.

Anyone with a drawer of make-up, skincare and sun cream of uncertain age, people with sensitive skin or eyes who like to know how old a product is, and households sharing one bathroom shelf.

What this helps you track

• Every product, its brand and what kind it is
• The date each was opened and the months printed on its pack
• The discard-by date and how many days are left
• Any change in smell, colour or texture since opening
• What has been replaced, and what is due next

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date and where the products are kept.
2. When you open something, give it a line with the product, its type and today's date.
3. Copy the months from the open-jar symbol or the pack, and write the discard-by date: the opened date moved forward by that many months.
4. Days left is worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, cross off the line once the date has passed.
5. Note any change in smell, colour or texture, and tick Replaced when a new one goes on the shelf.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where do I find the months to write in?

Many products show a small open-jar symbol with a number and the letter M: the months the maker says to use it within once opened. Copy that number. If there is no symbol, use any date on the pack, or leave the column blank.

How long do products last?

The sheet does not say. How long a product keeps depends on what it is, how it is used and how it is stored, and makers set their own periods. The tracker only uses the figure printed on your own pack.

What goes in the change noticed column?

Anything different since you opened it: a new smell, a shift in colour, separation or a change in texture. Writing it down helps you decide whether to replace it, whatever the date says.

Why are eye and lip products picked out in the type column?

Products used around the eyes and lips are often given shorter periods by their makers. Sorting by type in the browser or the workbook puts them together so they are easier to keep an eye on.

Can a salon use this for its stock?

It is built for one person's or one household's own products. A salon or shop holding stock for use or sale needs a stock inventory with batch numbers and values, such as the salon and spa stock inventory.