When Do Bath Bombs Expire?
Like most other perishables, bath bombs contain ingredients that have a recommended shelf life with actual expiration dates. Shelf life is defined as the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. The average shelf life that a bath bomb has is going to be around six months.
Bath bombs are a hard packed mix of natural ingredients such as sodium baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, epsom salt, essential oils, water, food colorant, mica powder or FDA approved lakes and veggie oils. The first two ingredients of baking soda and citric acid have a long shelf life, but citric acid starts to lose its strength over time. The awesome thing with citric acid though is that you can keep it stored in airtight containers to preserve its strength.
When bath bombs react with water they create a vigorous fizzing that releases the essential oils into the water. This means that the longer the bath bombs are exposed to the moisture in the air, the faster they lose their fizziness and the effectiveness they have on the body and mind.
There are some people out there that like to store away their bath bombs in airtight containers that are made for bath bombs for extended periods of time. If someone did this for say two years, the bath bombs can still be used but they won't work as effectively as ones that are fresh and new. Some bath bombs will not fizz at all and others will just slowly dissolve and crumble when submerged into the water.
Bath bomb producers highly recommend that you use you bath bomb when it is fresh and new. The same shelf life that bath bombs have can be applied to the fragrance as well. The aroma won't smell nearly as nice and strong due to the evaporation that is occurring while in storage. If some bath bombs are using natural ingredients mixed such as fresh fruit extracts, petals, or other fresh herbs, they will begin to deteriorate.
Bath bombs should be stored in cool and dry places like pantries, cupboards or basements. Moisture in the air can cause the bath bombs to start fizzing before even touching the water. If you live in an area with a humid climate such a tropical area, a dehumidifier can be vital when it comes to storing your bath bombs.
Storing your bath bombs in airtight bulk bath bomb containers such as a mason jar or Tupperware will help protect them from the moisture in air. Another thing to take into consideration is the bath bombs with fresh ingredients like petals and natural oils may go bad over a certain period of time.
Here is an informative guide on the shelf life of some of the bath bomb ingredients.
Shelf Life of Common Bath Bomb Ingredients:
- Avocado Oil: Up to a year
- Canola Oil: 1-2 years
- Castor Oil: Up to a year
- Coconut Oil: Last more than a year
- Coffee butter: 1 year
- Olive oil: Up to 2 years
Always ask the distributor of the bath bombs you are purchasing to list the shelf life of their ingredients as well as the ingredients themselves.
So now that we have a basic knowledge of when bath bombs actually expire we must remember the main key point, freshness is the key to getting the best result from your bath bomb. Also, remember that large airtight containers are very helpful in keeping moisture out. You can always show them off for your guests by displaying them but don't expect them to maintain the full effect of fizziness and aroma.
Head over to Bubbly Belle to order some of our one-of-a-kind bath bombs.