Shelf Life Of Soaps & Creams

Mike Smart

Mike Smart

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Guys I was just wanting your thoughts on shelf life's in general. I know it will differ from brand to brand but just as a general rule.
I look at some dens on YouTube and think WTF IS GOING ON. Surely they don't last that long do they ?
I know my aftershaves lose their proper smell within 6 months of being open and within a year they are pretty much done.
I can only imagine soaps & creams being the same. At the moment I have 5 different brands of soap & creams but im reluctantly to buy more even although my pockets are telling me different.
 
I posed the same question a year ago:

Cream, Soap and Croap Life Expectancy

Whilst eyeballing my collection from the porcelain throne earlier, I began to wonder if I needed to strategically work through my soaps/creams in a specific order. Have any of you had any instances of soaps, creams or croaps going foul? I imagine the soaps will be fine but is it unreasonable to...
www.theshavingroom.co.uk www.theshavingroom.co.uk

Let them air properly after use and they should be fine
 
I have seen some people posting in SOTD using 1950s vintage creams apparently no issue with them - though I expect with creams certainly the scent will suffer. Soap products don't seem to be best before dated so I assume that the ingredients mix provides preservative properties. Personally I have a couple of cheap tubs (Wilkinson & Erasmic) which are probably coming up to three years with no issues of scent or consistency.
 
Triple milled soap lasts for years without any ill effects and I'm still using some 9 years since purchasing them and they haven't lost their scent

Some croaps do go rancid and, whilst they smell awful (unless you particularly like the smell of tallow), they still perform as good as when they were new. I've had this happen with Cella and Vitos, but never with any other croaps.

Some soaps will take on a mottled appearance over time as the stearic acid crystallizes. This is harmless and does not affect the scent or he performance at all.

Some soaps will change colour and darken with age. This is common with soaps that contain vanilla and, again, is a natural process that affects neither scent or performance.

I have only ever had one cream separate and go off in he tub. Some of my creams have dried out over time and they are still usable (unless they are in a tube. of course). I just treat them like a soap and they perform fine. Scent hasn't been an issue in these cases either.

I'm pretty much convinced that the idea of soap and creams losing their scent over time is something of a myth. I've heard it mentioned on a US podcast quite regularly and have never seen any direct evidence of it myself in the last 9 years and I've amassed a pretty large collection of soaps and creams over that time.
 
Bogeyman said:
No they are not, if you are storing them away from heat & light.
Click to expand...
They are in my bathroom at home mate iv used aftershaves all my life and it times iv got to many they definitely lose their smell,
My wife worked in the industry many years ago and she said the same they will lose scent after a while
 
I've not had a problem with the efficacy of any soap or cream I've had for several years. Some creams dry out some, but their efficacy and scent have not been impaired. As for my alcohol-based aftershaves, no problems experienced either. In all cases, however, I make sure lids and tops are on tightly and that they are stored in a coolish, dark place at all times either in a drawer on my side of the bathroom vanity or the bathroom airing cupboard (out of SWMBO's sight:cool:).
 
Mike Smart said:
Guys I was just wanting your thoughts on shelf life's in general. I know it will differ from brand to brand but just as a general rule.
I look at some dens on YouTube and think WTF IS GOING ON. Surely they don't last that long do they ?
I know my aftershaves lose their proper smell within 6 months of being open and within a year they are pretty much done.
I can only imagine soaps & creams being the same. At the moment I have 5 different brands of soap & creams but im reluctantly to buy more even although my pockets are telling me different.
Click to expand...

I've also thought the same looking at some of the you tubers dens. They will never get through it all. I purchased a travel cream from TOBS which didn't have a good seal on their travel tub. While the cream still performed well, it was much more like a soft soap than the large tubbed version.

re aftershaves, I've an 80's Kouros which hasn't lost it's scent. It's stored in the original packaging.
 
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