Updated March 2024 – The Ordinary PAO Period After Opening
The Ordinary PAO, Period After Opening, Expiry Date & Shelf Life
The Ordinary PAO Period After Opening & NIOD PAO – To ensure your skincare is at its best, it´s good to pay attention to the PAO, expiration date and shelf-life. PAO is the period after opening. Once you have opened your product, use it within the number of months mentioned on the packaging. You will see the sign below or something similar somewhere on your product.
Your Quick 30-Second Guide To PAO
- You will see 3M, 6M or 12M on the box and bottle. This means that once opened, you can use your products within that number of months.
- Write the date you opened your products on your bottle.
- Retinol/Retinoids have a PAO of 3 months and should be kept in the fridge.
- Retinal has a PAO of 6 months (no need to be refrigerated).
- Oils & Vitamin Cs have a PAO of 6 months.
- Antioxidants 6 months.
- Acids between 6 months and 12 months.
- Peptides 12 months. Copper Peptides 6 months.
- Eye products 6 months.
- Cleansers & Haircare between 6 and 12 months.
- The Ordinary says the shelf life of products unopened is up to 3 years.
- NIOD says the shelf life for unopened products is 18 months to 2 years.
What is The Ordinary PAO?
PAO stands for “Period After Opening“. You will find this little symbol somewhere on your box and product with 3M, 6M, 9M, 12M etc. This means that once you have opened your product, it should be used within 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. It’s worth writing when you open it on the box or bottle.
The Ordinary PAO (period after opening), expiry date & shelf life will vary from product to product. Some will say 3M, 12M, and some with actual expiry dates.
The Ordinary & NIOD Products Expiry Dates
The majority of The Ordinary & NIOD products have PAO, but some of The Ordinary and NIOD products have expiry dates.
These NIOD & Ordinary products have expiry dates.
- The Ordinary Sun Creams
- Niacinamide Powder
- L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
- NIOD CAIL Copper Amino Isolate Lipid
The Ordinary & NIOD PAO
Below are some of the products I currently own, and I have added the PAO for you to see. Please be aware that The Ordinary & NIOD update the formulas regularly, so your PAO may differ depending on when you purchased it.
I have an Ascorbyl Glucoside from over a year ago, and it says 12M but my latest Ascorbyl Glucoside says 6M.
The Ordinary Peptides PAO
| Multi-Peptide Serum + HA Matrixyl Argireline | 12 Months PAO |
| Multi-Peptide Eye Serum Multi-Peptide Serum + Copper Peptides | 6 Months PAO |
The Ordinary Acids
| Glycolic Acid AHA 30% Lactic Acid 10% Lactic Acid 5% Mandelic Acid Azelaic Acid Salicylic Acid 2% | 12 Months PAO |
| Salicylic Acid Anhydrous Salicylic Acid Masque | 6 Months PAO |
The Ordinary Oils & Hydrators PAO
| NMF + HA NMF + PhytoCeramides NMF + Beta Glucan Hyaluronic Acid Marine Hyaluronics Amino Acids | 12 Months PAO |
| Squalane Oil Rose Hip Seed Oil B Oil Argan Oil Marula Oil | 6 Months PAO |
The Ordinary Retinol, Retinoid & Retinal
These should be refrigerated, so think before you buy any of these! Will you go to the fridge, put the product on and then put it back in the fridge?
The Ordinary More Molecules PAO
| Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Niacinamide 10% Alpha Arbutin Caffeine Solution | 12 Months PAO |
| Niacinamide Powder | Expiry Date |
The Ordinary Antioxidants PAO
| EUK 134 Pycnogenol Resveratrol & Ferulic Acid | 6 Months PAO |
The Ordinary Vitamin C PAO
| Vitamin C 23% Ascorbyl Glucoside Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder | 6 Months PAO |
The Ordinary PAO Period After Opening
Cleansers, Hair Care & Primers
NIOD PAO Period After Opening
All NIOD products say 6M, so they should be used within 6 months of opening. I find some of the masques do go a bit crusty once they pass the 6 month period.
| NIOD CAIL | Expiry Date |
| NIOD SDSM NIOD LVCE NIOD SS NIOD CAIS 2:1 NIOD MMHC2 NIOD FECC NIOD LBLC NIOD NEC NIOD FM NIOD RP NIOD NAAP NIOD ELAN NIOD S0 NIOD S10 NIOD S20 NIOD S30 NIOD PF 8% NIOD PF12% | 6 MONTHS PAO |
Does everyone stick to the PAO?
I asked this question on Instagram Stories and here are the results! 65% of people do not stick to the period after opening.
What is the shelf life of The Ordinary & NIOD unopened?
Deciem say the shelf life of the brands (unopened) are as follows;
- The Ordinary products – 3 years
- NIOD is between 18 and 24 months
Copper Peptides—From personal experience, I would advise you to use them as soon as possible. We have found that if you store them for too long, they turn black rather than stay the gorgeous blue.
Some Tips – The Ordinary PAO
- Write the date you opened the product on the bottle or box.
- Don’t have too many products open at once.
- Retinol and retinoids must be kept in the fridge and have a PAO of 3 months. The new Retinal 0.2% in a pump doesn´t need to be kept in the fridge and has a 6-month period after opening.
- Wipe the neck of the bottles after using them. Some products, particularly the oils and the caffeine solution, can get quite gloopy.
- NIOD Masques – I would advise buying the smaller sizes to be sure you use them in time.
- Don´t stock up on Copper Peptide products just because they’re on sale! We have found they don´t stay the gorgeous blue if stored too long.
How long does a bottle of The Ordinary last?
If you use a 30ml bottle at least once every day, then you´re probably looking at around 3/4 months. But if you have numerous products on the go and only use them once or twice a week, you will probably find that you go over the PAO. When buying masks, particularly the NIOD masques, I recommend purchasing smaller-sized products where possible if you only use them once or twice a week. I asked the Deciem Addicts on Instagram how long a bottle of The Ordinary lasted them, and here are all their answers.
The Ordinary & NIOD Guides
The Ordinary PAO Period After Opening
