Quality of plastic finish in older vs. newer torsos?

[Legogal]

During the past week while inspecting all of my Collectible Minifigure Series figures built once and stored in containers, it appears that the quality of the plain torso finish compares poorly with that of earlier (pre-CMS) torsos. The newer figure finish is more of a matte surface, not as smooth and shiny as earlier torsos. And the newer ones seem to have more annoying spots on them several years after they were built. Has anyone compared plain, unprinted CMS torsos with earlier ones and noticed this? I have tried buffing the spots out of the CMS torsos, but the finish is not as uniform and shiny as many of the pre-CMS torsos, which seem to retain their shiny, unspotted finish even twenty or more years later. It is disappointing to say the least if this is a common problem with CMS torsos because we expect them retain their new, shiny look if they are not played with and put away right after they are built. (It is difficult to get decent photos to compare the finish of pre-CMS with CMS torsos.) Your experience with this issue? 

[Lyichir]

With a subjective factor like surface finish, it's hard to necessarily assume that it's a defect. Parts change all the time and it's sometimes hard to tell whether or not a change is deliberate or what non-obvious advantages or disadvantages it might offer.

Anecdotally I remember a few years back when there was a brief run of slope bricks that had smooth surfaces instead of the classic textured ones. While this made those surfaces more akin to the other surfaces of ordinary bricks (and made them at least seem better for applying stickers to in theory), it also made molding marks more apparent, and eventually the change was revealed to be an error and corrected. I bring this up because this surface finish issue could be similar in one way or another—perhaps the matte finish is a new feature meant to hide molding marks or perform some other function, or conversely, perhaps it's a temporary error that will be corrected in the future.

[Artanis I]

The CMFs are from a different factory, using different moulds and a different source of plastic from the minifigs that are released in sets. How do your CMFs compare against other torsos from only a few years ago?

[Legogal]

It seems that earlier torsos were maybe thicker and shinier in finish and rarely spotted with age like the newer CMS torsos. Maybe because they had a harder finish, not a soft matte one that looks like it absorbs everything around it. Am I just dreaming, or has anyone else noted this change? The newer built but not played wth torsos definitely do not look new when viewed two years later. Many of my 10-20 year old plain torsos look newer than the newer CMS torsos. 

[BubbaFit45531]

Does the shine have anything to do with the natural oils from skin?