Burt's Bees produces both cosmetic products and “over-the-counter” or OTC products. Products such as our sunscreens and anti-acne products are classified by the US FDA as OTC because they contain specific active ingredients known to prevent or treat certain conditions like sunburn and acne.
Over-the-counter products, such our Natural Acne Solutions line, can be recognized by the drug facts box on their labels. These OTC products list the expiration date on the packaging. Our cosmetic products are intended to last three years from date of manufacture, which can be determined by reading the lot code. We recommend that products be used within 12 months after opening and it's best to store products out of extreme temperatures and direct sunlight, if possible.
Since October of 2013, we have a common format for lot coding for both the cosmetics and OTC products:
The standard format for the individual container is the following: LLYYJJJS.
LL = a 2 letter location code that represents the location of manufacture YY = the last two digits of the year
JJJ = the Julian day of manufacture
S = one or more digits that represents any additional information such as a batch number, shift or line, depending on the location.
If you have a lot code that appears different from this code (for example shorter or a “kit” of products with a unique lot code), please contact us and we’d be happy to help confirm the expiration date.