{"id":48747,"date":"2021-07-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/?p=48747"},"modified":"2023-09-02T21:46:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T01:46:24","slug":"beard-conditioners-expire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/beard-conditioners-expire\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Beard Oil Expire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reaching for that old beard oil or beard balm and uncertain if it’s still any good? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, you want to use any beard conditioner about six months to one year after purchase<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredient Shelf Life Varies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we covered in our beard oil recipe guide<\/a>, popular beard conditioners are made from a blend of natural ingredients, including carrier oils, essential oils, vitamin oils, butter, and beeswax.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like the food in your cabinets, these natural ingredients will eventually go bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, beard care companies aren’t required to put an expiration date<\/strong> on their products. Thus, leading to confusion about how long a product lasts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To counteract this lax labeling requirement, we went ahead and researched a few popular wholesalers where beard care companies often source their raw ingredients from.  This would help provide a better understanding of the true shelf life of beard conditioners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what we discovered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrier Oils<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are added to all beard conditioners and are responsible for nourishing and moisturizing your skin upon application.  There are many different carrier oils, however, jojoba, argan, grapeseed, and sweet almond oil are among the most popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jojoba Oil<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On average, jojoba oil has a shelf life of three years, the longest of all the carrier oils we researched:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Argan Oil<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another popular base in beard oil is argan oil<\/a>.  The shelf life for this carrier oil was up to two years:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Grapeseed Oil<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We found that grapeseed oil also had a shelf life of two years.  But grapeseed oil was recommended to be refrigerated after opening:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sweet Almond Oil<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, sweet almond oil had a shelf life of two years:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Coconut Oil<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While not necessarily as popular as many other carrier oils when it comes to beard oils, balms, and more, coconut oil<\/a> has an expected shelf life of two years:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Essential Oils<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Derived from seeds, roots, peels, nuts, leaves, and more, essential oils are a bit more complicated of an ingredient.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shelf life for all the essential oils we researched was never disclosed<\/strong>.  We looked up sandalwood oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, lemon oil, and several others but had no luck in finding a finite shelf life from a reputable source.  Therefore, we cannot definitively say how long you can expect this ingredient to retain its structure within a beard conditioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we suggest putting little weight on the shelf life of essential oils as companies only add a small amount (a few drops) to any given beard conditioner.  Essential oils are added primarily for fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Found in beard balm and beard butter<\/a>, shea or cocoa butter provides malleability of the product and deep nourishment to the skin.  In particular, shea butter has the shortest shelf life of one year when stored properly:<\/p>\n\n\n

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For another wholesaler, we found that cocoa butter has a shelf life of three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax, commonly added to beard balm for its protectant, humectant, and styling abilities<\/a> has a shelf life of three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find this ingredient in beard balms and some beard butters.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ingredients are Only Half the Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Given that we are dealing with a natural product, other variables such as storage and packaging become much more important.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Packaging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, a beard conditioner should be stored in a glass amber bottle or metal tin. This packaging will help slow down the degradation process of the natural ingredients when exposed to direct sunlight or bright lights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some companies will also place their product in a cardboard product box for added protection during shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temperature Fluctuations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may have noticed earlier that the raw ingredients found in beard conditioners should be stored in cool and dark places.  Furthermore, some ingredients, such as grapeseed oil, are recommended for refrigeration after opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, most men store their beard conditioners (and other grooming products) in their medicine cabinet, an area subject to significant changes in both humidity and temperature due to the heat and moisture produced by the shower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxidation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Natural ingredients are subject to oxidation.  When oxygen is present, it will react with the natural ingredients in your beard conditioner.  This reaction will cause the ingredients to deteriorate over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each ingredient will oxidize at differing rates. For example, one study researched the oxidation of jojoba oil in relation to other lipids.  Here’s what they found: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jojoba oil shows good thermal stability up to a relatively high temperature. Generally, the cosmetic formulations containing jojoba oil have superior stability toward oxidation than other lipids used for this purpose. A comparative study of the relative oxidation stability of jojoba oil, sperm whale oil, carnauba wax esters, Limnanthes douglassi wax esters, and behenyl arachidate revealed that jojoba oil has high oxidative stability comparing all other oils [43].<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8197201\/<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another study found that when exposing <\/a>argan oil to the air, the oil deteriorated more rapidly (source<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The takeaway<\/strong>:  Keep your beard conditioner well-sealed between each use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturing Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cosmetics are a loosely regulated industry resulting in little oversight of the manufacturing process.  As a result, some beard conditioners might be made haphazardly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you may be diligent about storing your beard conditioner properly, it doesn’t mean that the company that made it was as careful.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, you have no way of knowing how long ago their big barrel of jojoba oil may have purchased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is little you can do here when it comes to due diligence, and you just simply need to take the companies word on the procedures in place.  If anything, only purchase from trusted brands that likely have a high turnover and carry a positive reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs Your Beard Conditioner Expired<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Curious whether or not your beard oil or balm has expired? Here are a few signs to look out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n