Mine is about a year old, and some think its 10. It has been soaked, scratched when the bike was flipped upside down to change a tire, and left to dry out in the hot sun. It has been scuffed from road sand between my butt and it for miles at a time.
Yet once a little of the proofide is applied, and buffed in, its back to great looking. Now if you want it to remain like it was when new in the box, then of course you can never use it outside. But it is a bicycle saddle that's meant to show all the signs of wear and age. And still perform.