Do essential oils "expire"?

[Daylily]

I have some that are probably 12 or more years old. They are in dark brown bottles and two of them still have the plastic shrink wrap on them. Those two are Black Walnut and Wild Yam. The two that have been opened areOregano Oil and Eucalyptus. Do you think they're still good?

[Jeepers]

Good question! I'd like to know too.

 

One thing, I'd think they would lose their potency after a year or so. And I'd be careful about inhaling anything that could be 'funky'. Another thing I'm thinking about is the carrier oil it is mixed with. That, for sure, can go rancid even if the original spice/herb would have been good. I wouldn't use them with any other expensive ingredients (making lotions/salves) just in case you ruin everything and waste your money?

 

I'm just thinking out loud until someone else knows for sure.

[The WE2's]

I've never cooked with these oils, only used them for massage, bathing, or fragrance diffusing. I've got several that have been opened and are still very fragrant, but then again...I'm not cooking with them and they're more the fragrance types...Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Lemon, etc.

[Mother]

There are so many variables in the shelf life of essential oils that it's difficult to give a time with any certainty. It is dependent on how and where they have been stored and the particular variety. Most essential oils you can expect 2 plus years from, citrus ones being the exception as they have a bit shorter shelf life because of their chemical constituents. Tea tree oil is another that really doesn't store well for any length of time but can still be used.

 

Now, that said, that doesn't mean they can't be stored longer or that they are dangerous to use when stored longer. Most will just lose their effectiveness over time and that can often be told by smelling them. Sealed, in dark bottles, stored where they don't get warm, or in the sunshine, most distilled essential oils will be good for years. It is advisable to rebottle essential oils into smaller bottles as it is used so that oxidation is somewhat reduced, especially if they are infused into a carrier oil. Carrier oils can become rancid over time and are then best not used either in foods or on the skin. (The skin is a very effective organ for absorbing whatever is put on it. My rule of thumb normally is, if I wouldn't eat it I don't put it on my skin.)

 

Daylilly, My suggestion for those older oils is to smell them before you use them. If they smell like they are supposed to, then use them cautiously until you find out what affect they have. The oils you mentioned are mostly used medicinally and they may have long since lost their effectiveness. I wouldn't believe they would be dangerous to use, or at least I wouldn't be afraid to use them, but I also wouldn't expect to find much help in them at that age. The eucalyptus could probably still be used in a steam for colds and such and even the oregano oil might be used for its antiseptic and disinfectant qualities. Now that said, in a SHTF situation I'd probably still use them, even that old, if I had nothing else.

 

This is a good topic. I recently deeply cut a finger and found my own essential oils were much older than I normally let them get. I need to restock and use the old for 'scents' or for chasing bugs from the plants and house and for use in my natural cleaning products. They will still work great for those uses.

[Daylily]

Thanks for the comments and advice! They are all in small bottles.