Contents
*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
A barcode is a special combination of lines of different thickness, under which there are numbers. This code is applied to absolutely all goods (on their packaging or containers), both food and non-food. The data contained in the barcode and which can be found if you decrypt it:
Where is the product made – in what country.
At which plant the product was manufactured.
Is the product with this barcode original or is it a fake.
To decipher the barcode, check the originality of cosmetics, you need to make a number of calculations:
All even numbers that are in the barcode must be added to each other.
The resulting sum of even numbers must be multiplied by three.
All odd numbers, except for the number 13, must also be added to each other.
Sum the sums obtained by adding even and odd numbers. The result should be a two-digit number, for example, 12. We do not take into account the first digit, it turns out 2.
The number that resulted from the above calculations must be subtracted from 10. For example, 10-2 = 8.
The digit that is obtained at the end of the calculation must match the last digit in the barcode of the product. If so, then you are holding an original product in your hands, which is actually produced by the company indicated on the package.
Despite the widespread information that a barcode can be used to check the expiration date, this is not the case. This is a misconception, since many users simply confuse a barcode and a batch code.
What is a batch code and how is it different from a barcode
A barcode is encrypted data that can provide additional information about the product to the seller and the buyer. A batch code is encrypted information that is intended mainly for the end seller of cosmetics. It contains data on the batch number, on the date and place of production of the goods, on its expiration date in closed and open form. What the implementer can use batch code for:
To withdraw from sale cosmetics that have expired or reduce the cost of products that will soon deteriorate.
In order to remove a certain batch of goods from sale if the manufacturer claims that it is defective. Thanks to the batch code, you can leave part of the goods for sale if it is known that not the entire assortment is spoiled, but only a certain batch or batches.
In what situations can a simple consumer need to decrypt a batch code:
If there is no production date, month and year on the container with a cosmetic product, until which the product can be used. This can happen in several cases – if the package is damaged, it is lost, if the sticker with the necessary information is missing or faded, etc.
If the box or container contains information that is not clear to the consumer. For example, inscriptions in English, French or Chinese, Japanese. Or the format of the date of manufacture indicated on the package is somehow strange. For example, if the date of manufacture looks like 12.28.20, our compatriots will most likely decide that something is wrong with the expiration date, because it ends in the 28th month of 2020. But in fact, the confusion arises from the fact that different countries use different marking formats: “day, month, year”, “year, month, day”, “month, day, year”. The batch code helps to dot all i, by which you can check the correct release date and validity of cosmetics.
If the manufacturer did not indicate the expiration date of cosmetics at all. This happens often and not because of the carelessness or irresponsibility of the company, but because in some countries it is simply not customary to do this. If the period of validity of cosmetics does not exceed 30 months, then the date of production and other information may simply not be indicated.
If the consumer has doubts about the veracity of the data indicated on the package. It often happens that distributors, when translating information about cosmetics from a foreign language, make accidental or intentional errors. “Wrong” and dates are often, especially if the expiration dates are coming to an end. Therefore, if you buy foreign-made products, it will never be superfluous to check the batch code, that is, the code of a specific batch.
What does a batch code look like with expiration date information, where can I find it
Many users cannot find the batch code and cannot distinguish it from a barcode. To solve this problem, let’s imagine how such markings on product packaging might look like:
Barcode – looks like a sequence of sticks of different thicknesses, below them there is a row of numbers at irregular intervals, for example, 8 563220 579662. The barcode can be found anywhere in the package, often accompanied by thematic images. For example, if this is a package with cosmetics, a formal image of some kind of cosmetic product can be placed above the barcode – a tube of lipstick, etc.
The batch code looks like a simple set of Latin letters and numbers. For example, it may look like this – 35O890. Such marking is located, as a rule, under the barcode ruler. But in general, it can be anywhere – on the cardboard packaging itself, on the seam of the tube, on the bottom or wall of the bottle with cosmetics.
What to do with the code when you find it, how to use it to find out the expiration date of cosmetics? We will try to answer these questions in the next part of the article.
How to check the expiration date of a cosmetic product by batch code
With a batch code in hand, you can use a public online service that will tell you within a few seconds how long you can use a cosmetic product without fear that it may cause harm. How to do it:
Find the appropriate service on the Internet by entering a query into a search engine.
Go to the site, enter the batch code in a special line, in addition, you may need to select a manufacturer or brand.
Click on the button to calculate the expiration date.
As a result, you will get the information “Product best before” in the format of the month and year.
Also, to check the batch code, you can use one of the specialized applications for mobile devices on the Android or iOS OS. One of these programs can be downloaded and installed through the Google Play or EppStore applications. As a rule, such offers are free, download and install without problems, take up little space in the device’s memory.
When checking the code, problems may arise, we list the main ones:
The brand is not in the list of manufacturers. In this case, there is nothing left but to try to use another service or program.
The service throws an error. This may be due to the fact that the product is fake. Or because the information on the site has not been updated for a long time, and your batch code has not yet been added to the database. The problem may also arise due to the fact that you are trying to enter not an alphanumeric batch code, but a numeric barcode.
The third option for checking the expiration date of a cosmetic product by batch code is to use the table, which can be found on the same sites where there are automated verification services. The table contains the names of brands, as well as decoding – what the numbers and letters of the code of a particular manufacturer mean.
Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.