Shelf life of Emu Oil

by Leigh Westwood
(Martinsville, Va)

Does emu oil go rancid like other oils? How long does it keep?

Reply: If you read my Buying Guide to Emu Oil" you'll see there different grades of emu oil.

Crude emu oil will go rancid fairly quickly; however, you can prolong it's expiry date by keeping it in the fridge. That being said, I would avoid using an emu oil that's been sitting on my counter for the past 6 months.

Highly-refined emu oils will have a much longer shelf life and this will also be further prolonged if you keep it in the fridge between uses.

I usually buy a larger bottle of highly-refined emu oil and fill a small bottle for daily use. I keep the larger bottle in the fridge between refills to keep it fresh.

You can also get emu oils that have preservatives in them, such as vitamin E. Vitamin E may help prevent oxidation and prolong the oil's shelf life.

Common sense will help you judge the life span of your emu oil. If you bought emu oil a year ago and you still have some left over it would probably be better to throw it out and buy a fresh bottle.

Refined emu oil that's under 6 months old is probably getting close to its expiry date and you should start to think about getting a fresh batch.