Some vitamin C supplements may not have an expiration date on the package. This is because the United States Drug Administration (Food & Drug Administration) does not require manufacturers to include this type of date on their packaging (the same is true for other vitamins, such as multivitamins that contain vitamin C and products such as Emergen-C). More often, you might see an expiration or expiration date on the label. Expired vitamins are safe to take.
On the expiration date, the product must still contain 100% of the dietary supplement ingredients listed on the label, provided that it is stored under the right conditions. While vitamins don't technically expire, they become useless after a period of time. Pay attention to the dates that manufacturers put on the bottles to know when their vitamins and supplements will stop working for you. As long as you store them properly, they will last as long as they should and contribute to your overall health.
Although vitamin C products are often well packaged, they tend to have a shorter shelf life and are prone to souring. Once vitamin C has deteriorated, it's best to throw it away. Shamban says that, at that point, it can no longer fight against the free radicals responsible for causing oxidative damage to our skin. This is a situation in which the consumption of vitamins can be dangerous due to the contamination that occurs with them.
If you store vitamins in an area with high humidity, such as the bathroom kit, they may deteriorate more quickly. Once you've determined that your vitamins have passed the point of no return, it's important that you dispose of them safely. And while you might be tempted to flush them down the toilet, it's not the best idea either, as old vitamins can still contaminate the water. Putting vitamins in a closet or in a place in the room that doesn't get direct sunlight can help prolong their potency.
If the product isn't packaged properly, or if you open and close the package frequently in a humid environment, vitamins will break down more quickly. Vitamin C is particularly susceptible to delicuescence, a process in which the vitamin begins to absorb some of the relative humidity in the air. Because the FDA doesn't require it, each company will make its own decision as to whether and how to label expiration dates on vitamins. It's best to store vitamins in a cool, dry place that isn't exposed to extreme temperatures or humidity.
Topical use of vitamin C can also help prevent and treat UV-induced sun damage (from exposure to the sun or tanning beds). While vitamins don't expire or become unsafe, they will lose potency, meaning they don't do you any good. Here's everything you need to know about vitamin expiration dates and how effective they are as that date comes and goes. However, there are no large scale studies that have tested the degradation of different types of vitamin C, so it is not known which brands are the best in terms of expiration date.
However, do not take higher doses of the supplement to counteract this loss of potency, as you may accidentally take too much vitamin C.
