SCAD? Do creams go bad?

[dbarie]

I'm not sure if this should go in the newbie forum or not, please move if appropriate.

Is it a bad idea to buy 10 tubs of shaving cream (different ones)? Are these going to go bad in a couple years?

The problem is that I bought a bunch of samples to eliminate some creams from my wish list but instead I find that I like most of them. I have the shopping cart full of goodies but I figured I should seek council from the forum before I went for it. The holidays have made a monster out of me.

 

[dpm802]

Many tubs of cream have an expiration date ... it appears as the profile of a tub with the lid open, and a number like 36M. This means that it is recommended that you not go beyond 36 months after you open the container.

As far as I know, the shelf life of an unopened tub is indefinite.

I don't think you'll come to any great harm if you go beyond the expiration date ... but it is the manufacturers recommendation to buy more product, whether you've used up the first container or not.

 

[dbarie]

So it sounds like I may be better off limiting myself to 5 or 6 if I want to have them all open at once then. Also I am pretty sure I won't actually stop buying shaving cream for a year or more.

 

[cnnc97]

If you buy all 10 you will never use them all up, and you may feel hesitant to buy more in a few months. I would recommend a smaller purchase now and another purchase in a few months if you can't resist.

What's on your list by the way?

 

[njpaddy]

Taylors are marked 12M on the bottom, but I've got a couple of Taylors and Vintage Blades creams that are over a year old and I notice no difference in scent or lather. I bought about 10 tubs over the past year but I try to space them out. Start off with 4 or 5, but not all from the same maker. I not only like rotating scents, but I like having a variety in lathers from different makers too.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Go ahead and buy to your heart's content . However, I would recommend to take preventative measures before it's too late...and that is regardless of the expiration dates on cremes.

What I do (and I have ~15 or so cremes or 9-10 soaps) is to keep my cremes in the fridge (in a box or something). Take what you want and put it into a sampler decant size tub and use it and take out what you want for the fridge stock. Works extremely well and I haven't had anything go bad yet

The soaps, I keep at room temp, in a cool dry place.

 

[dbarie]

If you buy all 10 you will never use them all up, and you may feel hesitant to buy more in a few months. I would recommend a smaller purchase now and another purchase in a few months if you can't resist.

What's on your list by the way?

Mostly the stuff that gets a lot of praise on the forum. After thinning the herd I am down to a few TOBS (Mr Taylor, Jermyn, Eton, Shaving Shop), Speick, and T&H (Grafton). I have AOS Lavender, Proraso (tube and tub), and a tube of GFT.

 

[stevieo]

i bought a couple dozen tubes of creed rose about 10 years ago when the usa distributor called it quits & liquidated stock. i use them for travel & they are as good as new.

 

[njpaddy]

What I do is to keep my cremes in the fridge.

That won't work for me. If there's no room in the bathroom, I can't see SWMBO allowing shave creams taking up room in her fridge. Problem #2 is she'll notice just how many creams I have and might question why there's more on my Christmas list. Best all my shave gear stays hidden in my dresser drawer. If any go bad, it's an excuse to buy more.

 

[BladeRunner001]

That won't work for me. If there's no room in the bathroom, I can't see SWMBO allowing shave creams taking up room in her fridge. Problem #2 is she'll notice just how many creams I have and might question why there's more on my Christmas list. Best all my shave gear stays hidden in my dresser drawer. If any go bad, it's an excuse to buy more.

Ouuuchhh. Then I feel your pain

 

[guitarslinger]

creams in tubs can eventually thicken or a dry a bit, but it might take 3 years.

creams in tubes seem to last forever IME.

 

[mretzloff]

The expiration dates on shaving creams, shaving soaps, aftershaves, etc. are a tad bit ridiculous if you ask me. For example, there is no way that my Speick aftershave is going bad after one year. Commercial shaving creams also contain so many parabens and preservatives that I find it very hard to believe that they would go bad in just a year or two. And soaps are a whole nother story. If made correctly, which I assume all commercially available shaving soaps are, they will last forever. I think the expiration dates exist more so to get you to throw away your product...or at least as a result of the ultra-strict EU regulations.

The only downside is that some may dry out, but that can be remedied by stirring in some water.

 

[Sueto]

Could try sample or travel sizes of the 10 you would like to try out before having a stock pile of tubs laying around. Then again playing shaving cream roulette in the morning might be kind of fun.