Flip over any beauty product, and you’ll find a soup of acronyms. Here is the complete decoder to bookmark.
MFD: the date of birth
"Manufactured": the date of manufacture. MFD 03/2025 = product made in March 2025. This is the starting point for all freshness calculations.
EXP: the deadline
"Expiry": the date beyond which the manufacturer no longer guarantees the formula, even if the product has never been opened. It is the equivalent of the "best-before date" (DDM) shown on every product listing.
BB: the nuance that changes everything
"Best Before": best used before this date. After this date, the product doesn't suddenly become dangerous, but its texture, color, and effectiveness may deteriorate. As a matter of principle, we do not accept products that are past their BB date.
PAO: the open jar
The open jar symbol with "6M," "12M," or "24M": this indicates the period after opening. A "6M" mascara opened 8 months ago should be thrown away, even if it still smells fine. This is also why products that come into contact with mucous membranes are only available as sealed, new items on BeautySwapp.
LOT: the key
The batch code doesn't show a date in plain text, but it allows you to find it: every brand has its own system, and our experts decode it for every listing. It is the most reliable verification method of all, as it is the hardest to fake.
The key takeaways: MFD for birth, EXP/BB for the limit, PAO for usage, and LOT for proof. And on BeautySwapp, all of this is already verified for you.
