How to Read Faint, Worn or Hard-to-Find Cosmetic Batch Codes

Change the light before changing the package

Place the product on a stable surface. Shine a flashlight from the side and slowly change its angle. Indented and raised markings can become easier to distinguish when the direction of light changes.

Try diffuse daylight as well. A bright flash reflected straight back from glass or foil can hide the exact area you need to read. Change the angle rather than increasing brightness indefinitely.

If you have not located a candidate marking yet, use the bottle, tube, box and compact checklist first.

Take a usable close-up

1. Clean the camera lens and hold the camera steady, or support your hand on the table.
2. Tap the marking to focus. Move back slightly if the camera cannot focus at close range.
3. Take a close-up and a wider photo showing the marking's location on the package.
4. Compare the original photos at a larger size. Keep an unedited copy for the brand.

A magnifier or camera zoom can help you inspect what is present. An image filter or automated enhancement can also make an ambiguous edge look like a definite letter; do not treat a reconstructed character as new evidence.

Separate uncertain characters from certain ones

O and 0, I and 1, B and 8, or S and 5 can look alike in small print. Compare another instance of the same character on that marking if there is one. Record uncertainty explicitly, such as “third character may be O or 0.”

Do not fill in a missing character from a familiar example online. A date returned from a guessed string only shows that the guess matched a supported pattern.

Check a matching carton, but retain both photos. If the container and carton disagree, let the brand identify the markings and explain the difference.

When the print has worn away

A worn label may have lost information that lighting cannot recover. Stop if inspection begins to damage the surface. Do not use solvents, alcohol, heat, scraping, powders, pencil rubbing or liquids to reveal the code. Do not open seals, detach labels or take apart the package.

These steps can erase evidence, damage the pack or introduce material near the product. The useful fallback is a photograph of what remains, plus the product and purchase details.

If you still cannot identify the code

Use the brand enquiry template, noting which characters are readable and where the mark is located. Include the retailer, purchase date and country of sale, even if the code is incomplete.

If the code is fully readable but produces no result, move to lookup troubleshooting. Missing printing or a failed check alone cannot establish whether the item is authentic, expired or suitable to use.