I just found a Body Shave cream tub in an old travel bag. How long does shave cream keep? It hasn't got an expiry date on it so I'm assuming it will be a while. Though I have used it before I can't remember when. I suspect maybe two years ago, at least.
How long does shave cream keep?
- Thread starter Whooligan
- Start date
Should be good for 2 years if it was sealed up well. Best way to find out is to lather it up.
Do the smell test. If it smells really bad, toss it. Move on to the test lather after that. If it lathers great. Keep it.
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- #4
Hmmm... Smells ok... Will try it out when I get home.
I've had some soft soaps and creams for 3-4 years now. As long as they lather and smell ok you should be good. I think using them every now and then to keep the a bit hydrated helps, but I have no facts to back that up.
C. O. Bigelow in a capped tube should last as long as you want.
Biotique Bio Palmyra in a screw top tub needed a bit of distilled water before I used it up but otherwise was just fine.
As mentioned, anything should be good used regularly until you run out.
Biotique Bio Palmyra in a screw top tub needed a bit of distilled water before I used it up but otherwise was just fine.
As mentioned, anything should be good used regularly until you run out.
I have had soaps and creams for up to 5 years...as long as they're sealed and in a cool dry place, they seem to last quite a while.
Besides the smell test, also look for discoloration.
If it was in a tub, it may have settled and the ingredients separated. Stir it up a little to re-mix if this has happened.
I've only had one product go stale on me. A tub of Proraso green croap. It was several years past its expiration date when I got it in a batch from the BST, and I've never been able to get this stuff to lather to save my life. Other products in the same transaction were also past expiry, but they worked just fine. But that's just one piece of software out of dozens that I have, and almost all of them are past their expiry dates.
If it was in a tub, it may have settled and the ingredients separated. Stir it up a little to re-mix if this has happened.
I've only had one product go stale on me. A tub of Proraso green croap. It was several years past its expiration date when I got it in a batch from the BST, and I've never been able to get this stuff to lather to save my life. Other products in the same transaction were also past expiry, but they worked just fine. But that's just one piece of software out of dozens that I have, and almost all of them are past their expiry dates.
^This. I've only had one cream go bad on me and that was a bottle of Kiss My Face that was several years old. I had forgotten about it but it was stored properly; when I tried to use it it had turned a nasty brown so I tossed it. It looked so nasty it never occurred to me to smell it.
I'm not big on creams so had some C.O. Bigelow that I left out on purpose just to see what happened. The water evaporated and it basically turned into more of a soft soap. I actually like it this way. I've used it just like a shave soap and it works great.
I don't know for sure but I suspect that some others might do the same if they were exposed to air for a long period of time. Like for example this might happen slowly in the case of a half full tub that went unused for a while.
However, some do contain some kind of oil that I've seen separate. I encountered a sample like this in a pass around box a while back. When this happened the cream also took on a bad smell like some kind of engine fluid that you might find in the garage. I tried to mix it to see if it fixed it but no luck there and it went right in the trash.
I have a lot of soaps because I like the variety. I do limit myself to only a couple creams on hand so that I can use them up before they go bad.
I don't know for sure but I suspect that some others might do the same if they were exposed to air for a long period of time. Like for example this might happen slowly in the case of a half full tub that went unused for a while.
However, some do contain some kind of oil that I've seen separate. I encountered a sample like this in a pass around box a while back. When this happened the cream also took on a bad smell like some kind of engine fluid that you might find in the garage. I tried to mix it to see if it fixed it but no luck there and it went right in the trash.
I have a lot of soaps because I like the variety. I do limit myself to only a couple creams on hand so that I can use them up before they go bad.
I've seen Tabac cream separate. When I open a tube that has been sitting for a while, there is an ivory colored cream and a golden colored liquid.
When I mix the two back together, it is good as new.
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- #13
Gave it a go and although it was sealed (the lid screwed on tight) it didn't lather.
It it stayed quite solid and I'm sure after some patience and water it might have lathered, I just couldn't be bothered. Shame as I'm at that stage where I want to try every soap and cream out there!
It it stayed quite solid and I'm sure after some patience and water it might have lathered, I just couldn't be bothered. Shame as I'm at that stage where I want to try every soap and cream out there!
I've got 6-7 tubes of CO Bigelow from 4 years back / like brand new.
Just because a product smells good doesn't mean that it isn't full of bacteria! If a product is properly preserved it should last quite a while. The pH of a soap based shaving cream is higher enough that it doesn't "encourage" bacteria to grow in it but that doesn't mean that it will be bacteria free as there are some bacterias that can grow in a higher pH environment. Always be cautious, read your labels and know what is in your product! Ingredient information is readily available on the Internet.
Many products have a symbol that looks like a little jar with the lid open. Inside the graphic of the jar is a number, usually 12 or 24. This number indicates the number of months of shelf life the product has after being opened and exposed to air. After this time, ingredients may begin to lose their potency or fragrance may begin to weaken.
In the case of shave products, most of my shave cream tubs indicate that they are good for 12 months after being opened.
I likely won't be able to use them all in that time frame, and I'm not really worried about it. If you keep it closed tight it should be fine.
In the case of shave products, most of my shave cream tubs indicate that they are good for 12 months after being opened.
I likely won't be able to use them all in that time frame, and I'm not really worried about it. If you keep it closed tight it should be fine.
Yes the KMF will turn brown in color, but lathers to a wonderful white and the smell doesn't go rancid on these at least in my case.
I've had creams and soaps for 10 years now ever since I started. I haven't had to throw out a single one. What will happen is on the open cans of things, the scent will be completely gone and the creams will dry into the consistency of nearly a soap. I have several tubs of TOBS that are 10 years old. They get really hard, but they lather and shave wonderfully.
For several years I thought I always had to 'rehydrate' the dried creams before using them, so I'd add water and get them rehydrated and they would dry out in a year or so. Recently though I've just tried to treat them as a soap, works great that way and less fuss to keep up with.
Your environment and humidity levels will be the deciding factor here. As most people will say a good shave cream will last for as long as you want it to and I'm inclined to agree but if your home gets up to 38'c with humidity up to 90% then there is a chance your cream will turn on you. I'm not sure of what the implications are with regards to a cream that has 'gone off' in terms of hygiene or even shave quality.
I know I am bringing a post wayyyy back from the dead, and it is my first post after lurking for years, but my response to this thread is surprising. I started wet shaving before it became trendy again back around 2009-2010. Got really into this hobby for about 5 or 6 years, had a couple kids, and ended up going back to cartridges for the convenience. Wow, I forgot how much I enjoy the wet shaving regimen and taking care of my face again.
Anyways, I have made plenty of recent purchases, but I threw two jars (Tabac and TOBS St. James) into the mix because they still perform like the day I bought them. I would say they were purchased around 2014. The TOBS never dried out! As long as the product is stored in a good environment, they should last as long as it takes to use them! Thanks, fellas.
Anyways, I have made plenty of recent purchases, but I threw two jars (Tabac and TOBS St. James) into the mix because they still perform like the day I bought them. I would say they were purchased around 2014. The TOBS never dried out! As long as the product is stored in a good environment, they should last as long as it takes to use them! Thanks, fellas.
I have a tub of Trumper GFT Shaving Shaving Cream, which was opened in May of 2012. It still looks, smells and performs as well as it did the day I began using it. I used it this morning.
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