I love trying new soaps, and to a lesser extent, creams. i probably have enough soap to last ten years. I suspect some will go bad before I use them up.

I keep my soaps in a cabinet in the bathroom; that is probably all too common. It would be far better to keep them in a cool, dark place and the bathroom does not qualify on that count.

I have never tried putting soaps in the refrigerator or freezer. I do not know what cold temperatures might do to the emulsions. Colder temperatures would certainly help minimize rancidification of unsaponified fats and oils in the soap and would slow the growth of bacteria and molds.

Creams and soaps that contain preservatives may last quite a while, but I will need to use up artisan products that contain no preservatives more quickly.