1. Re-Gift Them

If the product is completely brand new, you can gift it as a birthday present. Just make sure you don’t re-gift it to the same person who gave it to you.

If it’s lightly used, you can always give it to a friend with a skin type better suited for it.

2. Use Them On Backne Or Bumne Breakouts

If your exfoliating acids or acne treatments are too harsh for your face, try using them on other parts of your body. The skin on your back and bum is thicker than the skin on your face, so a product that doesn’t work well on your face may still work elsewhere.

3. Use Them On Ingrown Hairs

Are you stuck with an exfoliating acid, toner or serum that doesn’t do your face any favours? Try using it on ingrown hairs on your legs, armpits or bikini line.

Even exfoliating acids in creams and moisturisers can be used as a body lotion. These can be a huge help for ingrowns.

4. Use Acid Toners As Deodorant Or For Dark Underarms

Acid toners and underarms might not seem like the most obvious match, but they can work as deodorant and may also help with the look of hyperpigmentation under the arms.

Just make sure you sort out the cause of dark underarms before applying acid toners. If a blunt razor is causing irritation, swap it out, calm the skin first, then consider using your acid toner.

5. Use Them On Your Body

There are so many ways to repurpose products that don’t work for your face on your body:

• Oil cleansers you don’t like can be used to shave with.
• Products with a pH level that doesn’t work for your face may be fine on your body.
• Concentrated products tend to work best on hands, arms and chests.
• Rich creams that cause breakouts on your face can be great on dry elbows, hands and feet.
• Most facial sunscreens work well on the body. Just check if they’re waterproof before using them at the beach.

I’ve reused face washes, scrubs, serums, creams and sunscreens on my body because my body skin is much less fussy than my face.

6. Donate Them To A Local Homeless Or DV Shelter

Instead of throwing out perfectly fine products, you may be able to donate them to a local women’s shelter, homeless shelter or community organisation.

A good rule of thumb: if you’d be too embarrassed to give it to a friend, don’t donate it. Anything that has gone off, is nearly empty or looks manky should be disposed of properly instead.

7. Clean Your Makeup Brushes

If you’ve ended up with a cleanser that has a pH level that’s too high for your face, or cleansing oils or balms you don’t love, keep them aside to clean your makeup brushes.

I recommend cleaning your brushes once a week if you regularly wear makeup. Discarded cleansers can do a good job of getting them clean without needing to buy a separate product.

8. Redirect Them Towards Your Feet

Your feet need attention too. If there are old products you weren’t impressed with, use them on your feet. Old face scrubs that were too rough for your face are perfect for stubborn cracked heels. Follow up with unwanted moisturisers to keep feet soft and supple.

Expired sheet masks can also be used on your feet. Pop one on for 20 minutes and your feet will feel hydrated, soft, smooth and refreshed.

9. Host A Skincare Swap

If you have skincare-loving friends, host a skincare swap. It’s a great opportunity to crack a bottle of wine and share around the products you no longer want.

As a bonus, everyone gets “new” skincare and you don’t have to worry about wasting money.

10. Give Old Makeup To A Mortician

If you have old, expired makeup lying around, you can ask your local funeral home whether they accept makeup donations.

Old makeup is a no-go for those of us in the land of the living, but funeral homes may be able to use certain products. Always check with them first before dropping anything off.

Got any other recommendations for how to get rid of beauty products that don’t work for you? Let us know in the comments.