What is the shelf life of shaving products?

Quick Question:

How long do products last? Do scents degenerate? Does soap go bad? Do creams lose their ability to lather? Do colognes and after shaves fade?

I wonder after seeing the lengthy (enviably) lists of long time, experienced d/e and straight razor shavers.

Currently I have a few things (Proraso, Col. Conk, a few samples (Taylor, Trumpers), some Cade after shave, Aqua Velva, some St. John samples) but anticipate getting more so the question arose.

Thanks!

It depends on the product but usually you will find this logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12M

That said, I don't think it's always the case... A dried up cream could be used!

I've only been here a few months and I'll leave soaps out in mugs and bowls for weeks at a time before I'll use them again. I've never experienced a problem, and I'll just pour the water off them when I'm through and leave the remaining lather to dry right on the soap. Next time I use it, whenever that may be, it still lathers fine.

Nice post Luc. I always wondered what that meant. You learn something new every day.

Some fragrances deteriorate quickly, especially when exposed to heat, light and oxygen. I think that the light does a lot of damage. As for soaps, I have not found that age makes them unusable, but drying does occur, and it then takes more work to produce a lather.

Luc said:

It depends on the product but usually you will find this logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12M

That said, I don't think it's always the case... A dried up cream could be used!

Click to expand...

That's interesting. I have to go check a couple of products!

IGNORE THE EXPIRATION DATES!!!

They are just there so that after X amount of months, you throw your stuff away and get more. A cream can be used for several years, even way after it has dried up. As long as a soap has been made properly, it should last decades.

Expiration dates serve two purposes: make the companies more money and ease the fear of paranoid customers.

Luc said:

It depends on the product but usually you will find this logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12M

That said, I don't think it's always the case... A dried up cream could be used!

Click to expand...

This is good information I did not know about. Thanks for posting the wiki article.

mretzloff said:

IGNORE THE EXPIRATION DATES!!!

They are just there so that after X amount of months, you throw your stuff away and get more. A cream can be used for several years, even way after it has dried up. As long as a soap has been made properly, it should last decades.

Expiration dates serve two purposes: make the companies more money and ease the fear of paranoid customers.

Click to expand...

+1

That's right

soap will last almost forever (though the sent slowly fades)

I have a tub of Taylor's Lavendar which I bought two years ago - there's not much left, but it still lathers well, and smells nice.

mretzloff said:

IGNORE THE EXPIRATION DATES!!!

They are just there so that after X amount of months, you throw your stuff away and get more. A cream can be used for several years, even way after it has dried up. As long as a soap has been made properly, it should last decades.

Expiration dates serve two purposes: make the companies more money and ease the fear of paranoid customers.

Click to expand...

I agree and disagree. It really depends on the product and who made it and what the ingredients are.

A soap or a cream should have a life of next to forever. Granted it will lose some of the scent over time and in 20 years it may smell more like an unscented product. Soaps should last longer than creams because the moisture evaporates out. Creams on the other hand may dry up and look nasty but it will still be functional, and most likely will work more like a soap. However creams should also have a preservative in them because of their water content. I recently looked at the ingredient list of an expensive, good and well known shaving cream and noticed 5 separate preservatives. That one is going to last one heck of a long time but it may dry out.

Water, Stearic Acid, Mystric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Fragrance, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben,

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Now if it's a lotion or a balm or milks that are made commercially, I would say they would have a shelf life of a couple of years. They also contain several preservatives which helps the "forever" shelf life. Aftershaves contain high amounts of alcohol to preserve it and would be good for longer but may lose some of the scent, depending on the quality of the ingredients.


Now handmade products on the other hand I would say have a much shorter shelf life. The reason is they don't contain high amounts and multiple preservatives. So the general rule among crafters is a year. However a friend of mine just sent off a bottle of lotion off to be challenge tested that was 3 years old. She is waiting on the results. So while it has a shorter shelf life your benefiting your skin because of the ingredient list. Or more so what is not included on the ingredient list.

Excellent posts and information. Thanks, all!!

An interesting question. I suppose that the answer depends on the product. I do have a bottle of Proraso ASB that's clearly gone bad, though I have no way of knowing how long it sat in the warehouse, etc. before it hit my shave cabinet. Overall, thought, I'd say that the problem is rather rare with most of the items we use (a possible exception being colognes, about which there are varying opinions re: longevity and storage).

mdunn said:

soap will last almost forever (though the sent slowly fades)

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Amen to that! Using a Tallow based Wrisley soap from the 50s today...Hmmm tallowy goodness.

The scent unfortunately has died and smells more like mothballs...