Old Fragrance Oils

[ScentimentallyYours]

Question: How long can fragrance oils still be used for soap?

I have fragrance oils that are 10 - 20 years old. Some were tossed due to cracked/deteriorated bottles or failed labels. Others still look and smell fine. Can I go ahead and use them? Is there any reason to think they are not safe?

 

[Carly B]

Can you make a small batch to test? I have lots of old FOs from 15 years ago--I'm going to go through them now that I'm retired---but I would think if they still smell OK they'd be OK to use.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Most FO have an expiration date on the bottle' if its even viewable' like @Carly B said try them in a small batch' see if they are usable, if you don't detect a off scent after cure your good to go.

 

[Tara_H]

@John Harris I think you had some info to share on this?

 

[John Harris]

@John Harris I think you had some info to share on this?

I've used at least a dozen 15 year old eo/fos They all acted fine and produced nice soap.
Now there is the question of the last fo I used:. Blueberry from Brambleberry - again, 15 years old. It seems to have separated a bit from the slab. The bars are very oily, but, they are just a few days old. I have put it in my super-duper soap dryer and will leave it there for months. We'll see who wins this challenge!

 

[lucycat]

Totally varies. I definitely have old fragrances I use. However, I also have had a few (I remember a lilac) where the FO discolored brown as it got older and I wasn't pleased with the scent. So, if they smell fine OOB then try them. Some FO may have an expiration date but in the past none did and I suspect that the date is more a recommended date that expiration.

 

[Highfive]

When my husband first started soaping. He was gifted 50+ FO/EO They were already 5+ yrs old. Most of labels were damaged or invisible. No issues with small batches. Used most of them for personal use. FO stayed long and smelled great. Worst thing with all the FO most of vendors are no longer in business. . Suggest test all fragrance in a small batch before

I've used at least a dozen 15 year old eo/fos They all acted fine and produced nice soap.
Now there is the question of the last fo I used:. Blueberry from Brambleberry - again, 15 years old. It seems to have separated a bit from the slab. The bars are very oily, but, they are just a few days old. I have put it in my super-duper soap dryer and will leave it there for months. We'll see who wins this challenge!

What is a super-duper soap dryer
usage.

 

[John Harris]

@Highfive a super duper soap dryer -->

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/attachments/img_3858-jpg.60912/

 

[Heather McClain]

@Highfive a super duper soap dryer -->

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/attachments/img_3858-jpg.60912/

What type of trays are these? They almost look like commercial dishwasher trays!

 

[John Harris]

They ARE commercial dishwasher trays - the kind used for silverware, as I remember. (I was a dishwasher while in university.). Seems to me, I got them for less than $10 each.

 

[Heather McClain]

They ARE commercial dishwasher trays - the kind used for silverware, as I remember. (I was a dishwasher while in university.). Seems to me, I got them for less than $10 each.

Thanks!!

 

[Quilter99755]

I was ready to buy some of them at an auction until my daughter suggested I lift one...we piled a few things into it that we thought might weigh as much as soap would. I could lift it, but she reminded me that as I age I am not getting stronger. That was about 4 years ago, and some of the best advice I got. I finally found a bakers rack and even with it, I only buy half sized trays. It's the pits to get old!

 

[John Harris]

I was ready to buy some of them at an auction until my daughter suggested I lift one...we piled a few things into it that we thought might weigh as much as soap would. I could lift it, but she reminded me that as I age I am not getting stronger. That was about 4 years ago, and some of the best advice I got. I finally found a bakers rack and even with it, I only buy half sized trays. It's the pits to get old!

An old nun told me once that growing old was a process of letting go. I'll be 67 this month and I am already beginning to see what she meant.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@Highfive a super duper soap dryer -->

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/attachments/img_3858-jpg.60912/

Gotta laugh "Genus" & you got some 15 year old soap'

 

[AliOop]

@John Harris is that a box fan that you placed on top of the soap racks? As @Peachy Clean Soap says, Genius!

 

[John Harris]

Yes, a box fan. I suppose it could be called overkill.

 

[AliOop]

Yes, a box fan. I suppose it could be called overkill.

Not at all. If I had the money for a fancy soap studio, I'd definitely have a private cure room with fans running. And a dehumidifier if I lived in a humid climate. But for now I have my combo home office/soaping room with a cure rack that gets a lovely old sheet tossed over it when I'm on video calls. Which is all the time these days, lol.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

cure rack that gets a lovely old sheet tossed over it when I'm on video calls. Which is all the time these days, lol.

So shy, even when you could show them off to your Ugandan friends?

 

[AliOop]

So shy, even when you could show them off to your Ugandan friends?

Well, for them I did remove the sheet (gosh that sounds bad if you don't know the context!) ... and that's when they got excited about making multi-colored bars with various swirls. They normally do one solid color, and they believe that multi-colors will help them stand out from all the other soapmakers at the market. We shall see. Good excuse for me to make soap!

 

[Carly B]

I was ready to buy some of them at an auction until my daughter suggested I lift one...we piled a few things into it that we thought might weigh as much as soap would. I could lift it, but she reminded me that as I age I am not getting stronger. That was about 4 years ago, and some of the best advice I got. I finally found a bakers rack and even with it, I only buy half sized trays. It's the pits to get old!

But it beats the alternative.....