Is YOUR eyeshadow a breeding ground for bacteria? Women keep make-up for six YEARS after expiry date - leaving them at risk of infection

A new survey reveals British women keep hold of their make-up products for six years after they go off - behaviour that could potentially be a ticking health time bomb.

Many Brits are holding onto their make-up treasures much longer than the use-by date, exposing them to toxins and bacteria, which lead to unnecessary breakouts and risk of eye infections.

Eyeshadow was revealed as the item that spends the longest time languishing at the bottom of make-up bags, with women keeping hold of them for seven years - nearly six years too long.

Many women don't know they should bin their mascara after just four months

Eye shadow t is also one of the worst culprits for spreading infections as it is applied close to the eye.

Next worst was lipstick and liquid foundation, which are kept for 4 years, and over 3 years respectively, which is more than three years longer than they should be kept.

Mascara is one of the worst culprits for spreading eye infections and was seen to be kept nearly two years past its use by date, and eyeliner is kept three years too long on average.

The most frequently replenished beauty products were face powder, blusher and bronzer but even they were kept a year longer than they should be according to the survey.

Eyeshadow came up trumps for the most hoarded item at the bottom of women's make-up bags

Emma Leslie, Beauty Editor at Escentual.com who carried out the survey, said: 'We're all guilty of clinging on to lip and eye colours in the hope they come back into fashion but make-up can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria like satphylococcus aureus and staphylococcus epidermis.

'Mascara is one of the worst culprits for spreading eye infections'

'Beauty products that surround the eye hold the greatest risk of infection and can cause bacterial conjunctivitis and blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelid.

'So it's alarming to learn that British women are holding onto eyeshadow more than five years past the expiration date.

'Liquid foundation, blusher, bronzer, concealer and face powder past expiration dates can clog up pores with bacteria, which can cause irritations, break-outs and rashes.'

Emma Leslie's top tips to keep your make-up fresh If your cosmetics smell bad or have changed colour, throw them out Check the expiry date on the packaging. It's usually in the open tub symbol with a number followed by an 'M' - this is the number of months until expiry from the date the product is first used Store your cosmetics in a cool dark place to preserve them for longer If you don't remember the last time you used it, then bin it

In the most extreme cases - six percent of women admitted keeping eyeshadow for more than 14 years.

Seventeen per cent admitted to owning mascara seven or eight years old and seven percent of respondents confessed to having eyeliner more than 14 years old.

Women have an average of three to six lipsticks at one time, and lipsticks are kept for an average of four years and eight months - which is more than three years past the expiry date.

These can be a breeding ground of cold sores, especially if women have ever shared their lipstick, and 12 percent of women claim they've kept their lippy for seven to eight years and five percent for 10 to 12 years.

Even with face powder, the least hoarded beauty item, a substantial 12 percent admitted to holding onto the product for 6-7 years.