Should you keep your skin care in the fridge?

Orange juice, check. Cheese, check. Delicate fruits and vegetables, check. Wine, double check. Facial moisturiser, umm… check?

Of all the things we cram into our fridges, especially during the summer when the weather is warmer, most things make sense. There’s always going to be that debate about whether or not loaves of bread belong in the fridge (they don’t).

But on the whole, we can mostly agree on what goes in the fridge and what doesn’t. And aside from the odd bottle of medication, it’s mostly the things we enjoy eating and drinking that live in the fridge.

So what about skin care products? Do they belong in the fridge? Should we be making space amongst the cartons of milk and pushing last night's leftovers aside to make room for our skin creams and lotions?

Well, according to some, yes we do! So here, we’re going to take a look at this trend and see what refrigerating our skin care products is all about.

What is a skin care fridge?

We’ll talk about the why and the benefits of storing skin care products in the fridge in a second. But first, what exactly is a skin care fridge?

Otherwise known as a beauty fridge, a skin care fridge is a tiny fridge that you can dedicate to storing your skin care, makeup and beauty products. Of course, you can store these kinds of products in a normal kitchen fridge, with your cleansing balm nestled between your lemons and your butter.

But for the die hard beauty trend fans, a dedicated beauty fridge is the way to go. It also happens to be perfectly Instagrammable!

A skin care fridge can be plugged in and sat on top of your dressing table, so that all of your products are to hand and perfectly chilled. Plus, using a fridge solely for beauty products means they won’t be tainted with the strong smells of garlic and wilting spinach, and they won’t get accidentally eaten by a house mate foraging for midnight snacks…

Is a skincare fridge just the same as a mini fridge?

Well, yes, it is really. But if you’re looking for a dedicated skin care fridge, then having a mini fridge can also mean that it can be used to store drinks during the colder months when it might not be so necessary to store beauty products in the fridge. (Although if you have your central heating whacked up high 24-7, then you might want to consider using a dedicated skin care fridge all year round).

Where can I get a skin care fridge?

Most of the large online and high street electronic retailers sell mini fridges, and some may advertise some of theirs as specifically for makeup and beauty product use.

Mini fridges designed for cosmetic and skin care use are likely to be smaller than the average drinks fridge, and therefore more likely to fit neatly on our dressing table or vanity unit.

Amazon is a good safe bet too, or anywhere that you might find a normal sized fridge such as PC World, Currys or Argos.

Why do I need a skin care fridge?

The experts say there’s plenty of reasons why we should all be keeping certain products in a skin care fridge.

Keeping products cool can help to prevent them drying out for example. It can also give products that have no added preservatives a longer shelf life by helping to prevent oxidation, which can cause a product to ‘go off’ and potentially make our skin react.

Also, there’s cosmetic benefits too. Using an eye cream or a mask when it’s cold and straight from the fridge will help to reduce puffiness more effectively and help to boost the circulation and reduce redness more quickly.

When we’re hot after an exercise session or a long day working and commuting, using a cool cleanser or moisturiser straight from the fridge also sounds, and feels, divine!

Not all products are suited to being stored at fridge temperature, whether a normal food and drink fridge or a dedicated mini skin care fridge. Such products include perfumes, that really don’t like extremes of temperature, and makeup, that can become more difficult to use or apply evenly.

Oil based products are best at room temperature too, as they can become solid and impossible to use straight from the fridge.

Here’s a rundown of the products that truly do benefit from being kept cool!

• Facial mists and toners - these feel so refreshing when we use them straight from the fridge to cool down, hydrate or to set makeup.
• Nail varnish - the jury is out on whether nail varnish lasts longer when kept cool in the fridge or not. But since it does our favourite nail varnishes no harm to be kept refrigerated, we think there’s no harm in doing it! It should help to keep your nail colours from going tacky and will help them glide on more smoothly.
• Preservative free skin care products - using skin care that’s free from preservatives is great for treating the skin holistically and naturally. But they can suffer in the warmth of a summer’s day or a well heated home. Keeping them in the fridge will help to keep them fresh and free from harmful bacterial growth that will spoil them.
• Probiotic skin care products - the same goes for skin care products that have added probiotics. These products contain live, beneficial skin bacteria that can support healthy skin and are best left cool to prevent spoilage.
• Sheet masks - is there anything more soothing than a cool sheet mask applied to stressed out skin?
• Facial balms and gel moisturisers - these are designed to melt into the skin, but that also means that they can melt at room temperature too, and will last longer at fridge temperature.
• Facial tools - tools such as jade rollers designed to help reduce puffiness have an extra level of effectiveness when used cold straight from the fridge.
• Eye creams - for the same reason, these help to reduce puffiness and dark circles more effectively when used cold.

So if you don’t mind us, we’re off to buy a skin care fridge. Who’s with us?!