A batch-code result answers one narrow question: when was this batch made? It does not automatically answer whether the product is still suitable to use.
When Lotly can decode a code, it uses a rule we have verified for that brand and format. That gives a manufacture date. We deliberately stop there rather than add an impressive-looking "expires on" date calculated from a generic number of months.
In our current brand snapshot, 2,775 of 2,779 listed brands carry the same 36-month shelf-life value. That is a useful system fallback, but it is not product-specific evidence. Applying it mechanically would produce a precise expiry date for almost every brand without establishing that the manufacturer set that date for the item in your hand.
Precision in the display is not the same as precision in the answer. We would rather show the part we can support than turn a default into a promise.
A printed best-before date and an open-jar period are separate label concepts. The latter starts after opening; it does not replace the production date. Requirements also vary by market: EU cosmetic labelling rules distinguish the two, while the FDA explains that conventional US cosmetics are not required to carry an expiration date.
Use the manufacture date to understand the age of a batch, compare two items, or decide which product to use first. It is one factual input — not a substitute for the information on the package.
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