How long does an opened vial last?

After the first draw, store a Vegalab sealed vial refrigerated and use it within 28 days. Each 5 ml vial holds three full applications of 1.5 ml. For a sealed vial, "opened" means first drawn: each 1.5 ml application is taken through the stopper with a syringe, the vial is never opened to air, and nothing is returned to it.

The rule, in three lines

1. After the first draw, refrigerate and use within 28 days.
2. Three full applications per vial, thirty per box of ten.
3. Discard any vial past the date printed on its carton, whatever it contains.

What "opened" means for a sealed vial

A bottle is opened when its cap comes off, and it is opened again at every use. A sealed vial is different. Its closure has three parts: the glass vial, a butyl rubber stopper pressed into the neck, and a 20 mm aluminum crimp holding the stopper in place, with a flip-off cap on top.

The vials and stoppers are sterilized before filling. Each vial is filled and sealed immediately under a re-enterable stopper and an aluminum crimp, and is drawn from rather than opened. The serum is a preserved cosmetic formulation.

Flipping off the cap exposes a small circle of the stopper. The ring and the stopper stay where they are. Each 1.5 ml application is drawn through the stopper with a syringe, and the stopper reseals as the syringe is withdrawn, so the contents are not exposed to air across all three applications. The design in detail: the sealed vial format.

The 28-day window starts with that first draw.

Storage

Before the first draw. Keep the vials in their carton, away from direct light and heat, and follow the storage direction printed on the carton.

After the first draw. Store the vial refrigerated. Do not freeze. Use it within 28 days.

Mark the date. Write the date of the first draw on the vial label or on a clinic log. A vial with no date is a vial of unknown age.

Keep the carton. Every carton carries its expiry date and lot number. If you ever need to report a reaction or ask about a batch, the lot number is what identifies it. See report a reaction.

Handling that keeps the rule valid

The 28-day window assumes the vial is handled as designed.

• Draw through the stopper every time. Do not pry the stopper out.
• Dispense, never dip. Draw the 1.5 ml application, then apply it; never put an applicator, a dropper or a fingertip into the vial.
• Never return product to the vial, even unused product in the syringe.
• Use a new syringe for each draw.

If the stopper has been removed, the vial is an open container from that moment. Do not keep it for a later application. Clinic procedure, step by step: vial handling and dispensing.

When to discard a vial early

• The stopper was removed or damaged.
• Product or an applicator went back into the vial.
• The serum looks, smells or feels different from when it was first drawn.
• The vial was left out of the refrigerator for a long period after the first draw.
• The carton's expiry date has passed.

When in doubt, discard it. A vial holds three applications; the cost of a single vial is small next to the cost of a doubtful one.

Which products this applies to

The rule applies to every Vegalab sealed vial set. Three examples:

• Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum, Sealed Vial Set, built on hyaluronic acid
• Hydrating NanoSerum, Sealed Vial Set
• Brightening NanoSerum, Sealed Vial Set

Bottled formats follow the storage and use directions on their own pack. How a vial differs from a bottle: ampoule vs serum vs essence. What is inside each formula: how to read an ingredient list.

Clinic questions on storage, dispensing and documentation: professional FAQ. More guides: Beauty Science knowledge.