By Hannah Hillyer
13th Apr 2019
13th Apr 2019
All the beauty lovers here at IMAGE are fans of anything a little OTT. We all love a mid-day facial spritz and a fancy hand cream, so a skincare fridge for us to store our beauty stash? Sign us up. We know it’s ridiculous but there is a teensy, tiny part of us that kind of wants one anyway.
What is a skincare fridge?
Remember back in the early 2000’s when people went mad for mini fridges? I had one circled in the Argos catalogue for so long, desperately wanting it for my secret stash of Lilt and Freddo bars. So if, like me, you missed out on the mini fridge action the first time round, you can now buy one for your skincare bits.
A lot of what’s on the market is aimed at mothers for storing baby bottles or for a teenager’s bedroom, so you don’t need to buy one specifically for skincare. Although a suitable pastel shade certainly looks best on Instagram.
Do some products need to be kept cold?
The honest answer? Not really. Very few of the skincare products we buy need to be kept in the fridge. It is advised that we keep products out of direct sunlight and in a cool, dry places, but rarely do they need to be refrigerated.
However, some say that products which contain ‘active’ ingredients can benefit from being stored in a fridge. Many products we use like our moisturisers, cleansers and facial oils are usually ‘stable’ formulas.
However, products which contain Vitamin C can be a little more sensitive, as it is highly water soluble. For it to be effective, it needs to be present in a stable formula, so it can be tricky for brands to get right. Storing this in a fridge could help with the potency of the product in the long term. Other active formulas, like some of your acids and retinols, could also have a longer life span in the fridge, but it isn’t a necessity.
Related: Five of the best active vitamin C skin products
There are some products that don’t need to be refrigerated but just feel bloody nice hen chilled. On a hot day, a cold face mist feels like heaven spritzed on the face and décolletage. A sheet mask straight from the fridge when you’re a bit hungover is gorgeous. Other honourable mentions are eye creams, as they feel cooling on puffy eyes, especially if you’re a hay fever sufferer (or have just re-watched The Notebook). Lastly, if you’re also into facial rollers (and if you’re reading about skincare fridges, you probably are) one used straight from the fridge is lovely and brings down redness, puffiness and any inflammation.
Do I need one?
You absolutely, 100% don’t. But if you want one and it will make all your Instagram beauty fantasies come to life, then more power to you. Despite the fact that I love how they look, and how completely extra the concept is, I will not be investing in one. Trying to think in terms of the environment, I already have a fridge in my house that I could probably sacrifice a shelf in for beauty products. My other one true love (cheese) will just have to be squeezed in somewhere else.
If you’re still in doubt, just search the #skincarefridge hashtag on Instagram and prepare to lose a few hours scrolling…
Header Image: @michellelee
More like this:
- Facial mists: The good, the bad and the useless (and why I love them anyway)
- How to feel like you’ve had a facial…when you can’t afford one
- The Foreo Cleanser is the newest ‘must-have’ beauty tool, but do you need it?
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