Inconsistency in mass produced creams

[jcroteau]

Have you guys ever noticed that mass produced creams sometimes have a "bad batch"? I have a handful of GFT creams, and my almond one looks and performs drastically different from the rest. For the life of me I can't get a good lather, and the appearance of the cream is different than all the others.....it looks like round beads.....almost similar to Styrofoam beads.

Given how much product GFT must produce....I'd like to think their process is pretty streamlined and error free.

 

[shavefan]

Given how much product GFT must produce....I'd like to think their process is pretty streamlined and error free.

Agreed. If anything, I would think that the mass producers would have better consistency. The only cream I've had long term experience with is Speick. I've never had a bad batch or noticed anything out of the ordinary.

I'm surprised to hear this about GFT but I'm not that familiar with the brand.

 

[Lefonque]

GFT are not the company they once were!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Hello, sir! With creams especially, i suppose anything is possible, however, there is another explanation too. Too long storage of the product or bad storage prior to selling it. Myself, i have bought from Amazon, Proraso and Tabac creams, that both were too watery. Especially the Tabac, which was coming out of the tube like a semiliquid paste, interrupted by gaps of air. I suspect in both cases, the creams had started separating.

This i also found from an unhappy TOBS customer who compares the cream he bought from a shop, to the one he was sent by Amazon:

The "beads" you describe, could be ingredients of the cream, that aggregate together after long time where the cream lost its initial properties. For example due to dehydration. Of course it is a conjecture, but nowadays, machines do everything and alternative issues to QC may occur. Or, they might be QC issues too!

On the bright side, now the TOBS is "paraben free"!. And so with time, it can look like yogurt too!

 

[Hachet]

Agreed. If anything, I would think that the mass producers would have better consistency. The only cream I've had long term experience with is Speick. I've never had a bad batch or noticed anything out of the ordinary.

I'm surprised to hear this about GFT but I'm not that familiar with the brand.

Interesting. My only experience with Speick is their cream and it was terrible. Won't lather and has no slickness. In fact, it seems to almost cause friction. I asked about it here and everyone said it was highly unusual so I guess it's the tube I got... On the other hand, Derby cream has never let me down.

 

[sarimento1]

indeed, storage time and conditions for creams can wreak havoc with the product.
good news is, *usually* these inconsistencies can get resolved by rest at a cool temp (60F) for a week or so, plus some stirring at intervals. my little wine fridge is perfect for this.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I've never noticed anything either. Usually, if a cream has dried up I just added in some water, mix and let it rest for a day. Rinse and repeat until its at the consistency you like. Scent remains unaffected by this for me (at least with the creams I've used). It stands to reason that the most likely issue is the date of production. I doubt there's a lot of cosmetic product that is considered okay after 5 years. Most only guarantee their efficacy for a year or so. Thats why people refrigerate or freeze their excess product. Creams are more susceptible to this than hard soaps, so it is important to buy from a reputable seller who has a good return policy.

 

[shavefan]

I agree with storage conditions. I can imagine that shave cream sitting on a warehouse shelf for months in the middle of summer is not ideal.

 

[jcroteau]

indeed, storage time and conditions for creams can wreak havoc with the product.
good news is, *usually* these inconsistencies can get resolved by rest at a cool temp (60F) for a week or so, plus some stirring at intervals. my little wine fridge is perfect for this.

Thanks for that suggestion! I will mix the entire tub up and see if it helps anything.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

indeed, storage time and conditions for creams can wreak havoc with the product.
good news is, *usually* these inconsistencies can get resolved by rest at a cool temp (60F) for a week or so, plus some stirring at intervals. my little wine fridge is perfect for this.

Thank you, sir, for this tip. Good to know. It might have saved my 2 Tabac tubes. Although you can't stir inside a tub. Unless you cut it and pour it to a container... Maybe one could do that too as a last resort.

I've never noticed anything either. Usually, if a cream has dried up I just added in some water, mix and let it rest for a day. Rinse and repeat until its at the consistency you like. Scent remains unaffected by this for me (at least with the creams I've used). It stands to reason that the most likely issue is the date of production. I doubt there's a lot of cosmetic product that is considered okay after 5 years. Most only guarantee their efficacy for a year or so. Thats why people refrigerate or freeze their excess product. Creams are more susceptible to this than hard soaps, so it is important to buy from a reputable seller who has a good return policy.

Indeed, sir. Creams sold from EU companies do not have by law obligation to have expiry date on, but only PAO (the period after opening for which the product is considered still valid). However, in Nivea's website, about their shaving cream, they specify that they consider as normal shelf life, 3 years after production. Some turkish creams i have, that do have expiry date, carry a 5 year one after production. And we are talking about industrial grade tubes that are sealed. Something in constant contact with air already inside the container and "paraben free" like TOBS, can probably separate earlier.

 

[sarimento1]

Thank you, sir, for this tip. Good to know. It might have saved my 2 Tabac tubes. Although you can't stir inside a tub. Unless you cut it and pour it to a container... Maybe one could do that too as a last resort.

in my experience, cream in a tube is less likely to separate than in a tub. Having said, I've had to split open a couple tubes in the past and re-pot the cream to a tub. i've also been able to transfer cream to a small tin and let it solidify into a soap.

 

[GR5233]

I’ve only had that happen to me once with a tub of Cella that I ordered from Amazon. I think it was stored there too long in the upper level of the warehouse during the summer

 

[jcroteau]

Hey y'all, just wanted to give everyone an update because I'm sure you're on the edge of your seats. I gave the tub a really good stirring, and now it's appearance and performance is on par with the other soaps, I think it just sat on a shelf too long at the retailer. Thanks everyone for your suggestions, it saved me from throwing out a tub whose scent I absolutely love and performs well. Cheers.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Tapatalk

 

[Brutus]

I also do believe that it may not be so much a ’bad batch’ (meaning something went wrong during production) problem, but is more often than not related to overlong or inappropriate storage somewhere between the seller and the user of the cream.

Performance may or may not be affected, I have had shaving creams that became more liquid but worked just fine, but I also recall a Proraso pre-shave that gave me a skin rash - most likely because the product had started breaking down.

I don’t use pre-shaves any more, in fact I am not using anything ‘Proraso’ any more, but it is a brand that every shaver seems to try at one stage before zeroing in on his favourite range of products.


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