Thread: Is your TOBS dated?

Hey lads,

So I understood that creams like TOBS can expire and go .. less good/bad after a few years.

This is completely reasonable and what not, but HOW do I see when my TOBS was made?

I for example bought my TOBS in a... let's call it shady shop where I wouldn't trust that much of what they told me. The thing is, you could open all jars and smell them etc... before buying, GREAT of course. But, wouldn't that mean they start 'expiring' the minute you open the jar?

Also, my TOBS is the ONLY cream/soap I have where there is NO date mentioned on the package, not even a bar code. So how do they and we keep track of the whole expiring thing (takes me a very long time to finish a cream, I'm talking easily two years...)?

My other soaps and creams all had a hermetic seal on them, so you obviously could not open them in the store, you could buy them and once you opened them they were yours.

So, please tell me. Not because I have a problem with TOBS, but because my girlfriend says it is legally obliged to have that date on at least the packaging, so perhaps I was sold a tube without the actual packaging, dunno?

Thanks

FWIW, I found a year old, half empty tube of TOBS a few days ago. The cream had dried out but it still lathered fine, it just needed a little more working because of the hardness.

Mine isn't dated.

May be this helps, I bought a while ago 2 tubes of TOBS, one of Lavender and the other of Roses, I noticed the the Lavender was very liquid, and even had the impression that affected my skin, so eventually I threw it away. The Rose scent was fine, but I noticed minimal differences in the tubes, being the main one that the Rose tube had the url of the webpage of TOBS printed, the other didn´t....

I just checked my TOBS Sandalwood scented cream and it is NOT dated. Just for the hell of it, I also checked my Cella tub and it is also not dated...I guess the manufacturers of soaps/creams do not date these products.

It's funny, I was just thinking about this. Someone posted that they had a tub of T&H 1805 for about 1 year, and when he got to the bottom, it was sort of dried out. If I remember correctly, he had trouble re hydrating it. I have a boat load of creams and soaps. Too many to mention. I can go two months and not use the same one. I think if you have many, and you keep the lid on tight, stir it when you use it, A chopstick works good, it may help. I guess soaps hold up better over time. From now on, I'll only buy what I think I'll use in a year's time....

I check all my TOBS creams, none of them are dated. Which insprired me too check all my creams. T-H: 1805, and Trafalgar no dates. C-M: greenbriar, sandlewood, and Dr. Hunter's no dates. except Dr. Hunter's had 1997 printed on it. I think it has more relation to when the product container was labled as to the date of the shave cream itself. AOS lavender no date. Safe to say thart they don't date shave creams, like Hogrider said. I have noticed that even if they dry out, they only take longer to lather, they still are good Imho.

Originally Posted by Jantjeuh

Hey lads,

So, please tell me. Not because I have a problem with TOBS, but because my girlfriend says it is legally obliged to have that date on at least the packaging, so perhaps I was sold a tube without the actual packaging, dunno?

Thanks

Perhaps in Belgium they require a "born on/use by" date but here in the states you'd be hard pressed to find a "toiletry" product that was dated either way. I actually just bought some TOBS Lavender soap & cream as well as a tube of Lemon & Lime at Winn Perry (a small local mens "boutique"). Neither the packs that the tubes came in or the refill of soap had anything but the normal markings on them. If it is a Law in BE that they are dated it could be possible that the store in question received a shipment that was ment to go someplace else. You could check if there is another place near you to get the same items and see if they have any of the date markings in question. Just a thought.

Basically every time you open the tub air comes in contact with the cream. Eventually the cream will dry out. Usually after about 1 year. I think many have figured that one out themselves. I know I have. With all the creams and soaps we tend to spoil ourselves with there's just to much to finish within a year of purchase.. lol
I can't finish a full tub anyone, hence I've been buying tubes and they do last longer partly because there's less oxygen that comes in contact with the cream, it tends not to dry out as fast compared to a tub and since it's a smaller sized version you normally paid somewhat less so you don't feel as bad if it kind a goes to waste.
Don't forget that many ingredients loose their potency or beneficial properties after a certain amount of time too.

I think that some great contributions have made this thread very interesting, thank you.

There are many issues involved, among them:

1) water content

2) oxidation

3) shelf life

4) potential legal issues


1) I am going to use Max's great post to start with. Yeah, every time you open the tub you expose its contents to air, and depending on the humidity of your local weather, to a certain amount of water as well. Since Max lives in a fairly dry area (I believe), he sees water loss (dehydration) from his creams. As he points out, reducing the surface minimizes that exposure. If instead, you lived in the Everglades, where the humidity is high, you could even end up getting moisture into your tubs. This, of course, depends on the water content in your cream. If the water content in the cream and in the air are the same, well, nothing happens, but this should be rare, especially if you own different products ;-). So Zib, you may have been spared;-). However, I do not think that any manufacturer anticipated dealing with shaving cream hedonists ;-). I and others have addressed this issue by making their creams fairly hydrophobic. The truth is that water can have other long term detrimental effects on shaving cream, with hydrolisis and, in the absence of preservatives, bacterial and fungal growth being the most prevalent So determine your humidity and plan accordingly. You can always add a bit of water if you notice that the cream is getting harder. A few drops would be sufficient, often without the need of mixing the product, if you do not wait until the product is rock solid. Only make sure that you use distilled or deionized water, especially if your water is hard, otherwise, you will be compounding the problem.

2) Every time you open your tub, you also allow more oxygen to be in contact with the product, and I am afraid that the concentration of oxygen in air is fairly constant, around 21% in low altitude. Oxygen reacts with some chemicals, like fatty acids and change their chemical properties. The good news is that in most shaving creams the fatty acids are present as salts and this makes them very stable. However, if your cream has some free oils, they would get bad. This process does not occur overnight so please do not panic. As Max said, exposure to air can also reduce the amount of volatile compounds (scent, etc.) overtime.

3) Often manufacturers give people a "for best results use within a year of purchase" warning. This is a fairly good estimate. It does not mean that you cannot use a cream/soap past this point but it is a reference point for the user. If the water content is high, the effects would be more apparent. I have tested Bomb samples that are a year old and they only show minor sign of decay. I keep them in little dishes that are not airtight to simulate the worse case escenario. They still dry out a bit and show a bit of oxidation but nothing that would raise a red flag. Obviously, in the proper container and with good handlinghandling, the shelf life increases.

4) This depends on the legislature of the region. Some places are more astringent than others. It basically depends on whether the government requires expiration date, which is often related to whether they consider the product a "drug" (a compound that reacts with the skin/body; at least in the US). In the US the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (1967) provides the legal grounds.

Al raz.