This is a shot in the dark but here we go. When Nuavia came out years ago, I was semi intrigued but merely for the simplicity in formula using very little with the inclusion of the calendula extract, also know as marigold (pot). I'm not sure I have used one that I can remember off the top of my head. Anyways, I just looked up the oil shelf life of it and it says 12-24 months. Let me be clear, I only bring this up as the only ingredient that is less common in a base. Everything else chosen in ingredients are used in many base formulas and have their own respective shelf lives.



If I recall, is a fresh pot of the Nuavia soap soft and sticky? Or is it a soft soap that is on the firmer, less tacky side? I can't really tell by the pics of the scooped soap using the little utensil how hard it is. If you say it's hard in consistency, I believe you. I'm sure you had to scrape it but maybe it had something that went rancid. It happens and I think we have all been there. I've bought some used soap that was spoiled fats. The soap maker that made it has made good and bad soaps just like every other soap maker. The issue is as a customer we have to determine how much we expect that won't happen. I think there is always a chance that we can buy a dud but we take the chance often to explore the hobby.



As many in this thread have been shaving a long time and doing traditional wet shaving enough to know what is important in this shave. I haven't used Nuavia once but if I did buy it, maybe it would be more beneficial to use it entirely if the performance is optimal when consumed fresh. To be honest, 99.9% of the time I use a milled soap (ends up being fairly firm or hard) for my shave. I've been using the Italian stuff consistently for years and maybe the shelf life is labeled the same and is probably better now rather than to shave with it 2-5 years later. I don't want to say milled soap has increased shelf life as I don't know at all.



Is a lesson in these types of threads that "rotation" of software only works to a degree when it increases beyond a certain point. I still have a large tub full of soaps that are all (not in use) sitting around. Maybe they all are bad by now but honestly, I think it is fine. Yes, they are slowly aging and diminishing in one way for sure. The value keeps decreasing by not using them and having them. So I have lost all hype in wet shaving because I outspent beyond my means. Now the fun in it is using the gear I have. Still not bad 1 bit, all the stuff I can use is what I can use for any wet shaving need and beyond. So many of have had it all and bought it all but it comes done to knowing what your skin responds to the best. You only find that out when you learn to spend time with products and evaluate your various results.



For my experience, the value I get in software comes from consuming it after purchase to see how my skin benefits. Here's a question for those that might think there Nuavia is bad. If you shaved with the lather, is the compaction lousy but still gentle on the skin or does it give a reaction? Is it totally unusable?