Creams separating/going bad? Preventative methods?

[huck1995]

Hey everyone, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

I'm relatively new to traditional DE shaving, and have been stalking the forums for quite a while. Over time, I've seen a few mentions here or there of people saying that their creams separated in the tubes and pouches as they aged/got old, whereas the majority say they hadn't experienced it.

Well, to get to the point of this post, I've kind of stocked up on creams and soaps more than I probably should have (I'm sure that loads of you can relate), and I'm just wondering if any of you have experienced creams separating or going bad as they aged, and if so, how old the creams were before that happened?

Also, if several of you HAVE experienced that in the past (meaning that it probably is a thing in the realm of possibility for my pile of creams), is there a way of preventing it from happening? Would massaging the tube or pouch periodically in theory prevent the components of the cream from separating?

Hopefully this hasn't happened to any of you, but if it has, I'd love to hear about your experiences and any remedies you might've come up with. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day!

Henry

 

[Borderboss]

I've never had it happen. I keep six tubs of cream in rotation at all times (various TOBS, T&H, AOS, Trumpers), so a tub will last me at least 6-8 months. I've never had one go south over time.

One thing I always recommend is to make sure you buy the cream from the manufacturer, or a reasonably high volume retailer. That way you know you're getting a fresh tub/tube. I never buy from Amazon anymore, as I've heard too many horror stories about people getting old/hard/funny smelling creams.

 

[huck1995]

I've never had it happen. I keep six tubs of cream in rotation at all times (various TOBS, T&H, AOS, Trumpers), so a tub will last me at least 6-8 months. I've never had one go south over time.

One thing I always recommend is to make sure you buy the cream from the manufacturer, or a reasonably high volume retailer. That way you know you're getting a fresh tub/tube. I never buy from Amazon anymore, as I've heard too many horror stories about people getting old/hard/funny smelling creams.

Seems pretty sensible to me!

 

[sarimento1]

Welcome to B&B, Sir Huck!

I have many creams, in tubs as well as tubes.

In tubs, sometimes the cream separates into dense/watery parts, but this can simply be remedied by stirring gently.

In tubes, the main issue I've had is cream drying out. Not much to prevent; slicing open the tube and decanting to a small tub will usually work.

Have fun in your explorations!

 

[huck1995]

Welcome to B&B, Sir Huck!

I have many creams, in tubs as well as tubes.

In tubs, sometimes the cream separates into dense/watery parts, but this can simply be remedied by stirring gently.

In tubes, the main issue I've had is cream drying out. Not much to prevent; slicing open the tube and decanting to a small tub will usually work.

Have fun in your explorations!

Thanks for the welcome, and thanks for the tips! Out of curiosity, my dear Sarmiento, with the tub creams that have separated, or the tubes that have dried, about how old were they when you noticed the problem? Just roughly how old. Thanks again!

 

[sarimento1]

Thanks for the welcome, and thanks for the tips! Out of curiosity, my dear Sarmiento, with the tub creams that have separated, or the tubes that have dried, about how old were they when you noticed the problem? Just roughly how old. Thanks again!

Sir Huck, first let me say that, of the many dozens of creams that I've used over nearly a decade of this stuff, including tubes and tubs, there have been only a couple of 'extreme fails', where product had dried so much that I had to slit open the tube, scoop out the cream and decant to another container. In fact, many of the vintage tubes today are as good as they were new, which was over 50 years ago! So, while age is a contributing factor, it is not a determining factor. For the tubs, dehydrated cream can be easily solved with a few drops of water. Where separation has happened in a tub, this can be result of not only time, but also storage temp OR concentration of oils/fragrance vs the soap. For instance, I once opened a fresh tub of Castle Forbes cream and it was quite separated and loose, perhaps due to its high concentration of essential oil, requiring simply some mixing and resting at cool temp. These days you will see symbols on many creams indicating "best before 36 months" or something similar; IMO, this is mainly a CYA statement. Nevertheless, whenever you buy a soap/cream in new condition, you should expect receive fresh goods that have been stored and rotated properly; if there is any doubt, contact your vendor!

On the other hand, I've had a handful of incidents where the screw cap on a tube has failed, requiring a foil and duct tape fix!

Bottom line you're probably safe with your stock of soaps and creams. Just keep them sealed well, in a not-too-hot location and enjoy!

 

[huck1995]

Sir Huck, first let me say that, of the many dozens of creams that I've used over nearly a decade of this stuff, including tubes and tubs, there have been only a couple of 'extreme fails', where product had dried so much that I had to slit open the tube, scoop out the cream and decant to another container. In fact, many of the vintage tubes today are as good as they were new, which was over 50 years ago! So, while age is a contributing factor, it is not a determining factor. For the tubs, dehydrated cream can be easily solved with a few drops of water. Where separation has happened in a tub, this can be result of not only time, but also storage temp OR concentration of oils/fragrance vs the soap. For instance, I once opened a fresh tub of Castle Forbes cream and it was quite separated and loose, perhaps due to its high concentration of essential oil, requiring simply some mixing and resting at cool temp. These days you will see symbols on many creams indicating "best before 36 months" or something similar; IMO, this is mainly a CYA statement. Nevertheless, whenever you buy a soap/cream in new condition, you should expect receive fresh goods that have been stored and rotated properly; if there is any doubt, contact your vendor!

On the other hand, I've had a handful of incidents where the screw cap on a tube has failed, requiring a foil and duct tape fix!

Bottom line you're probably safe with your stock of soaps and creams. Just keep them sealed well, in a not-too-hot location and enjoy!


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Thank you very much for the thoughtful reply! I figured I was probably safe, but I also figured it couldn't hurt to throw the question out there since I had seen some people say something about creams separating. Glad that you cleared that up!

 

[StillShaving]

I have had only one shave cream fail. This was an artisan cream in a tub after more than five years. (Probably 7-8 years later) I used it sparingly in part because it was special and in part because I had other soaps to use. I may have also left the top cover partially unsealed for nearly a year or maybe the cream contained too many natural oils to stay in its original form.

I have a 10+ year old DR Harris cream which has nearly the consistency of an artisan soap, but still works very well.

 

[huck1995]

I have had only one shave cream fail. This was an artisan cream in a tub after more than five years. (Probably 7-8 years later) I used it sparingly in part because it was special and in part because I had other soaps to use. I may have also left the top cover partially unsealed for nearly a year or maybe the cream contained too many natural oils to stay in its original form.

I have a 10+ year old DR Harris cream which has nearly the consistency of an artisan soap, but still works very well.

Thanks for the response! Out of curiosity, when you say fail, do you mean separated, or went rancid, or something else entirely?

 

[StillShaving]

Thanks for the response! Out of curiosity, when you say fail, do you mean separated, or went rancid, or something else entirely?

I would say it separated, in that it looked like some of the oils or ingredients had congealed a bit. But perhaps it had also gone rancid as I tried to stir back to a more uniform consistency and could not improve it or bring it back to life. And it did not smell the same, not a bad smell just not like the original cream.

 

[Clay S]

I would say it separated, in that it looked like some of the oils or ingredients had congealed a bit. But perhaps it had also gone rancid as I tried to stir back to a more uniform consistency and could not improve it or bring it back to life. And it did not smell the same, not a bad smell just not like the original cream.

Rancid would smell bad. Its when the fat goes bad, decomposes. Separated is hard putting back together. Can be similar to trying to make mayonnaise.

 

[huck1995]

I would say it separated, in that it looked like some of the oils or ingredients had congealed a bit. But perhaps it had also gone rancid as I tried to stir back to a more uniform consistency and could not improve it or bring it back to life. And it did not smell the same, not a bad smell just not like the original cream.

Thanks for the information, very interesting!