Do You Need a Skin Care Fridge?
Do you need a skin care fridge?
A new beauty trend is to purchase a mini beauty skin care fridge to store skin care products, makeup, and cosmetics.
Revolve, Walmart, Amazon and The Skin Spot are just a few of the stores where you can find a skincare fringe to buy.
But- is having a separate refrigerator for skincare products and makeup really necessary?
A skin care fridge is really only worth it when it is difficult to easily access the refrigerator in your kitchen. For example- if your bedroom and bathroom are upstairs and the kitchen is downstairs.
I notice that my patients are less likely to use their skin care products when they are kept in the fridge- especially if they don't want to run thru their house in a towel to the kitchen.
For this reason- having a mini fridge in the bathroom or closet may be a good idea for you.
Should you refrigerate your skin care products?
Skin care products are tested at room temperature (and warmer) and this is how shelf life and expiration dates are determined. Most products have a 2 year shelf life. However, these tests are done on unopened products. Once the products have been opened, they can lose effectiveness fast.
Is it better to keep products in a skin care fridge? It depends upon the ingredients in the product.
Five reasons to store skin care in the refrigerator:
- It feels good when you use them cold.
- You have skin inflammation and the cool is soothing.
- The products have ingredients that degrade quickly.
- You want to extend the life of your products.
- You use organic products with no preservatives
Ingredients in skin care that should be refrigerated when possible.
It is not required to refrigerate these ingredients, but if you do- they should remain effective longer:
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
Clascoterone
Hydroquinone
Niacinamide
Peptides
Retinol
Water soluble ingredients like green tea can be refrigerated,
Oil soluble ingredients and oils may get firm when refrigerated, so they can be refrigerated but should be brought back to room temperature before application if they are too thick to spread.
What Products Should Be Kept In a Skin Care Fridge?
These are the product types that should be kept in the fridge if possible:
Anti-redness products and anti-inflammatory serums
Probiotics (1)
Toner
It is ok to keep toner in the fridge.
It is not necessary to store toner in a fridge, but if you like the cool feeling of a cold toner, it is fine to keep it refrigerated.
Facial mists and essences can also be kept in the fridge.
Face cream
Face serums are a good product to keep in the fridge. They are usually made with water soluble ingredients that can evaporate or react with other ingredients in the products which can make them less effective. Vitamin C serums, retinol serums, and skin lightening serums should be kept in the fridge if you leave them behind while travelling so they will stay fresh.
Face Serums
Should I store face serums in a skin care fridge? You can keep face cream in the fridge but it may make some of the oils in the moisturizer thicken which makes it harder to spread.
Letting the cream warm up in your hand before applying will solve the thickness problem.
Keeping creams in the fridge can make them last longer.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is water soluble and should be stored in a skin care fridge once opened. It is able important to keep it away from light when possible.
One idea is to store it in a paper bag in the refrigerator .
How long to wait to use products after taking them out of the refrigerator?
Room temperature products will penetrate better into the skin then cold products. But of course it also depends upon how cold your room is. In a 72 degree (F) room (22 degrees C) you should let products sit about 30 minutes before you use them.
Washing your face with warm water before you apply them will also help speed penetration.
Downsides of refrigerating skincare to keep it cold
Cold makes blood vessels contract so this could decrease absorption of products like exosomes and growth factors that depend on the blood supply to the skin to absorb well.
If you use any of these ingredients- let them come to room temperature before applying to your skin:
Exosomes
Growth Factors
Heparan sulfate
What not to put in a skincare fridge?
These do not last longer when stored in cold temperatures:
Clay masks
Exfoliating Scrubs
In general, you want to consider keeping ingredients that change textures too much in the cold out of the fridge. This can include oils like coconut oil which are right in saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids somewhat solidify into creams when cold, while unsaturated fatty acids develop a filmy texture. Additionally, some acids are less potent when cold, while some are more potent. Be sure to keep the recommendations on temperature storage found on products labels in mind when storing your products.
Can I leave my skincare fridge on all night?
You can leave skin care products in the mini fridge all night.
Do not put skin care products in the freezer.
It is not necessary to store skin care in the fridge but it may make them last longer. This is important- especially with serums that can be expensive.
Tips for making skin care products last longer:
If you go on a trip you should leave your skin care products that you do not take on the trip with you in the fridge- especially if you live in a warm climate with spotty air conditioning.
Never leave your skin care products in a hot area such as your car. This will inactivate many ingredients including chemical sunscreens.
If you plan to cycle your skin care products- keep the ones you won't use for a few days in the fridge.
Before you buy any skin care products, make sure you are using products that are right for your Baumann Skin Type.
References on Refrigeration of Skin Care Products and Effects of Cold on Skin Care Ingredients:
- Mortazavian, A. M., Ehsani, M. R., Mousavi, S. M., Rezaei, K., Sohrabvandi, S., & Reinheimer, J. A. (2007). Effect of refrigerated storage temperature on the viability of probiotic micro?organisms in yogurt. International Journal of Dairy Technology, 60(2), 123-127.