What To Do When A Favorite Beauty Product Gets Discontinued

The other day I was at Target picking up a few things when I noticed the packaging on my Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion for Sensitive Skin with SPF 15 had changed. Then, I saw the active ingredients were highlighted in yellow, which alerted me to the fact that they weren’t the usual 6 percent octinoxate and 3 percent zinc oxide. Olay changed my favorite moisturizer on me!

I know this company didn’t mean to cause me any harm. They were, I’m sure, simply updating the product to make it even better. But since my skin is so very sensitive, the new, slightly different formula doesn’t work as well for me, and I’ve heard others reporting greasy-looking skin and breakouts due to the switch. What’s a girl to do when a staple in her beauty regimen gets changed or discontinued? Keep reading for six tips on how to deal with the loss of a favorite beauty product.

1. Scour Stores. If the product was discontinued recently, there’s a good chance it’s still available in some stores. If you can’t find any at regular retailers, try off-price stores like Big Lots for drugstore brands and outlets or chains, such as TJ Maxx, for products sold in department stores.

2. Buy Online. Rather not drive from store to store on a wild goose chase for your beloved lotion? There’s a good chance it’s available online, especially if it was discontinued in the last year. Be careful though, because it’s harder to tell whether you’re getting what you want by looking at a tiny graphic and reading a product description.

3. Call The Company. If stores or retailers don’t have what you need, call customer service and ask if they can tell you where the last of their stock was sent. They might take pity on you.

4. Consider Generics. Big box retailers like Target and Walmart often have store brand versions of popular beauty products. The formulas aren’t exactly the same, but the active ingredients tend to be. And since generics follow the lead of name brand companies, you have a little more time to purchase these copycats before they switch their formula to match the new real thing.

5. Get It Made. If it’s makeup that’s been discontinued, Three Custom Color Specialists can recreate it with a dime-sized sample. Check their archive, because they may already have the shade on file.

6. Move On. Since beauty products lose their effectiveness after a while, you can’t buy a hundred bottles and expect them to last for the next 10 years, especially if your favorite product contains SPF. You don’t want to take risk your face with spoiled sunscreen, now do you? Instead, search for products with the same or similar active ingredients. I lucked out and happened upon a moisturizer that contains my fave combo of 6 percent octinoxate and 3 percent zinc oxide at Trader Joe’s.