Mesoporous silica- and carbon-based materials, including bioactive glasses, have proven potential ascomponents of medical devices and as drug carriers. From an application perspective, knowledge aboutthe shelf-life stability of these materials under various conditions is vital. Here, mesoporous bioactiveglasses (MBGs) synthesized by aerosol-assisted spray-drying and by a batch sol–gel method, mesoporoussilicas of SBA-15 type, and mesoporous carbons CMK-1 and CMK-3 have been stored under varying conditions,e.g. at different temperature and relative humidity (RH), and in different storage vessels. Theresults show that the silica-based materials stored in Eppendorfs are sensitive to humidity. Spray driedMBGs decompose within 1 month at a RH >5%, whilst sol–gel MBGs are more stable up to a RH >60%. Changing the storage vessel to sealed glass flasks increases the MBGs lifetime significantly, with nodegradation during 2 months of storage at a RH = 75%. SBA-15 stored in Eppendorfs are more stable comparedto MBGs, and addition of F- ions added during the synthesis affects the material degradation rate. Mesoporous carbons are stable under all conditions for all time points. This systematic study clearlydemonstrates the importance of storage conditions for mesoporous materials which is crucial knowledgefor commercialization of these materials.