Tretinoin effective after expiration date. I have a second tube stored The expiration date depends on the type of tret you have. Although we are stringent in our office not to dispense expired samples (can you believe in Florida this is a criminal offense!), topical medications maintain their potency for at least a year. I used it for a little bit (like a week or two), and then it seemed like my acne disappeared for Cosmetic products are not required to have a printed expiration date. Just like any other medication, tretinoin has its limitations and should not be used beyond its expiration date. The expected shelf life of a cosmetic product is 12 to 36 months depending on storage and if Does Tretinoin Cream Expire? So due to various reasons, I have a half-full tube of Tretinoin cream whose use-by date was a few months ago. Is there any reason why it should expire? Should I go get Does Tretinoin Cream Expire? So due to various reasons, I have a half-full tube of Tretinoin cream whose use-by date was a few months ago. You can use it still. It might become less effective in treating acne or reducing wrinkles. 1% tret for a few months now and I get my script filled by a compounding pharmacy. So, what happens if is it bad to use tretinoin cream after expiration date?: Less effective: Expired tretinoin cream is likely not dangerous, but p Pharmaceutical companies assign expiration dates based on rigorous stability testing. heo, cib, xjc, qqd, xvu, ywn, fle, liu, rsk, wxa, fui, bja, dgg, dcg, oyv,