Info: Shelf life of soap
Does soap have a shelf life? Yes, but it's probably still effective.
Although soap has an expiration date, it can still be effective if it lathers and lathers during washing.
Soap does expire, but if it still foams when you wash your hands, it should be effective.
Most store-bought soaps expire after two to three years.
Natural or handmade soaps may expire sooner, within a year, because the essential oils and fragrances can become rancid or moldy. The best way to store soap is to keep it in a cool, dark and moisture-free place.
Most soaps are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which requires all medications to have an expiration date. That's why you see an expiration date on soaps.
Although most manufactured brands last up to two years or more, some handmade soap makers recommend using their soap within a year of purchase. That's because the natural ingredients in some soaps can become rancid or moldy.
However, it is likely that your soap is still effective even after the expiration date. You need to know this.
Soap does expire, but is probably still effective.
Soaps are surfactants, which reduce the surface tension of water and make the molecules slippery, causing soap suds to bind, trap and release oil and grease - and the germs they contain.
That's why bacteria and viruses physically slide off your hands when you wash with soap and water for 20 seconds.
Soap also helps kill germs because of the polar and non-polar ends in its molecular structure. The polar end helps the soap dissolve in water and the non-polar end helps remove the oil from your hands and down the sink. It is the non-polar end that disrupts the exterior of bacteria and viruses, causing them to burst and die.
Most manufactured soaps have an expiration date of two to three years. However, if soap still foams when you wash your hands then it can still be used effectively, even after its expiration date. It does not matter whether the soap is liquid or solid.
How to know when soap has expired?
Soap can expire if it is cracked, dry and doesn't lather, or if it doesn't smell the same way it did when you first bought it.
Compared to manufactured products, soaps scented with essential oils and colored with natural botanicals may have a shorter shelf life due to the natural ingredients. These handmade, organic or natural soaps should still function like the store-bought soaps, but they may expire sooner.
Essential oils are "volatile," meaning they tend to evaporate when exposed to air. Soaps can lose their scent when the essential oils that provide those fresh scents evaporate. For some naturally scented soaps, we recommend using within three months of opening the box.
Another sign that soap is too old are orange spots. The orange color is because the oil in the soap becomes rancid. Although the soap is still technically safe to use, it will not smell very nice.
In general, as long as a bar of soap hasn't gone rancid, grown mold, or stopped foaming well, you should still be able to use it effectively after the expiration date.
© NA ten Hoeve 08\08\2008
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