Shelf life for DIY ingredients
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Thu Dec 26, 2013 11:32 pm

hi all,
i would like to know what' s your experience on "shelf life" of the following types of ingredients.
i know most suppliers provide shelf-life for the ingredients they sell. but i do trust some of them should be ok for longer as everytime i order ingredients seem i can never use them up before the suggested shelf life....

- perservatives ( should last forever right? or its efficiency decay gradually? i still have a lot of different types of preservatives unused bought few yrs ago..)
- solvent (e.g. Butylene Glycol , glycerin..)
- acid (lactic acid 80%, glycolic acid 70 %, citric acid powder, melic acid powder..)bought few yrs ago,i am still adding them to toner, lotion etc, with no harmful effects observed., i guess the strengh of the acid might now be lowered
- powdered form ingredients, lately i found some hydaulic acid powder i bought more than 3 yrs ago, and i used it lately with no harmful reaction. should it coz i have kept those powder in a closed bottle and stored in a drawer that i seldom open,,, so the powder is kept in a good condition that can last longer?
i also have a lot of plant extract in powdered form, should be ok to use after 3 yrs' storage?

what's your experience on handling unused diy ingredients?

thanks for sharing

free skin care · Fri Dec 27, 2013 6:34 am

One year when stored closed in the dark in a cool environment is the longest I would keep anything,unless otherwise specified. The 3 y/o HA powder is most definitely out of date. Even if its closed it will take up moisture and degrade.

Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:24 am

thx fawnie for the advice.
even those strong acids (actic acid 80%, glycolic acid 70 %) that after 1 yr. can i use it for personal skin care considering the strength is lowered but should not be contaminated with nasty germs,etc..?

thx, crystal

free skin care · Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:27 am

I have no idea really, but I like to know what Im using and how effective it is so I dont use anything over a year old. Preservatives are usually good for 2 years imho. But again, I dont like to use degraded or compromised ingredients - just not worth it.

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