Q & A with Russ Rohrer, Quality Assurance Director, about storing bulk personal care liquids

When you think about bulk liquid storage, what comes to mind?

Russ - First of all, ReadyCare is very proud of the bulk personal care liquids we supply to hotel, spa & club properties around the world. They’re manufactured with high-quality ingredients to our exact specifications, they’re hypoallergenic and they’re designed to prevent drying of skin and hair. Plus, all of our bulk liquids are free from harsh chemicals like parabens and DEA.

With our strong customer & supplier relationships, we continually cycle through the bulk liquid product in our Denver warehouse and on average, our liquids are manufactured within 30 days of being shipped to ensure absolute freshness.

How should customers store their bulk liquids?

Russ - After decades working in quality, first in the food industry and now in personal care products, I’ve learned that product quality depends on the ability to control the key freshness variables. For bulk personal care liquids, the three key variables are: 1) light exposure, 2) storage temperature, and 3) inventory cycling.

Tell us more about the effects of light exposure?

Russ - Sure. Light, especially sunlight, can affect many products including bulk personal care liquids. We recommend keeping light exposure to a minimum. If you can, store your liquids in their shipping box for as long as possible. If that’s not feasible, then put them in a storeroom with as little light exposure as possible, and be sure to keep the lights off in your storeroom when it’s not being used.

What’s the ideal storage temperature for bulk liquids?

Russ - Temperature fluctuations also have an effect on bulk personal care liquids. We recommend 75° Fahrenheit as the ideal storage temperature but room temperature (72° F) also works. If you need to pick, cooler temperatures are better than warmer ones.

When storage temperatures get too high or too low, it can affect product stability, efficacy and functionality. In simple terms, liquids stored at higher temperatures can get thin and seem runny. They may even separate. In colder conditions, liquids can thicken and may not pump properly through a dispenser. Additionally, conditioners and lotions are much more sensitive to storage conditions than other personal care liquids due to their product composition. In a nutshell, storage conditions are an important variable to control to ensure overall product quality.

Let’s move over to inventory cycling. What exactly does that mean?

Russ - Inventory cycling is key to maintaining product freshness. We recommend that customers use a “First-In, First-Out” (FIFO) inventory system, where new shipments are placed behind existing inventory and used later. If you can keep your shipments separated and write “Received On” dates on each box or bottle, you can maintain a coordinated inventory system that will maintain freshness. We also use FIFO inventory cycling in our ReadyCare warehouse in Denver.

What if I have a question about product quality or freshness?

Russ - With our extensive internal quality controls developed over 25 years in the business, we rarely see issues with product quality or liquid freshness. However, if you have a question, we're always happy to help out. You can either contact me directly or through your ReadyCare account manager.

Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Russ - I think we’ve covered the most important items but I would like to close by thanking all of our customers for their business. The ReadyCare team enjoys working with each of you to find the right personal care offering for your members and guests.

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Russ Rohrer is ReadyCare’s Director of Quality Assurance and has over 20 years of quality experience. Russ and his team ensure that the ingredients we receive from our suppliers and the final products going out to our customers always adhere to our extremely rigid quality standards. Russ is a graduate of Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon with a degree in food safety and science safety, and is a certified HACCP Manager. Contact: (800) 477-4283 x225, rrohrer@readycare.com