Skincare fridges are all the rage these days. Beauty influencers on YouTube and TikTok pull hydrating skin products from miniature refrigerators that look like they’ve come straight out of Barbie’s Dream House before applying them with a gua sha stone or facial roller. But are there actually benefits to keeping skincare items chilled?
While a cool moisturizer or firming face serum feels refreshing on the skin, you may be surprised to learn that most skincare products are better off left on the shelf in your bathroom cabinet. Sometimes, cold temperatures can even negatively affect your favourite lotions and oils.
What Is a Skincare Refrigerator?
A skincare fridge is a smaller version of the refrigerator in your kitchen. The miniature size allows for display on vanity tables or bathroom counters.
However, the size of a skincare fridge is not the only factor differentiating it. Skincare refrigerators are also kept at higher temperatures than the one that chills your food. While a standard refrigerator runs around 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, skin care fridges are set between 45 to 50 degrees.
Will Chilling Skincare Products Extend the Shelf Life?
While you may feel that popping your moisturizer into the refrigerator will help it last longer, this is not true in most cases. Other than being a cute and trendy way to store your products, there are few benefits to these mini appliances. Additionally, for high-quality and preservative free skincare products, chilling in the refrigerator may, in fact, shorten the product's shelf life.
Refrigerating skincare products can harm the formula and reduce its potency. Exposure to very low or high temperatures for extended periods of time may alter the colour, texture, and effectiveness of a serum or a lotion. This is also why it's important not to leave products out in the sun all day or in a hot car.
In addition to harming your products, cold temperatures can also harm your skin. Icing the skin to reduce puffiness and tighten pores may be a popular practice, but exposing the skin to extreme temperatures for too long can cause physical damage. Although a cooling mask or cream can feel soothing and refreshing on a warm day, cold temperatures can hurt the barrier of your skin. Signs that your skin’s barrier has been damaged include redness, itchiness, irritation, dryness, and flaking. If you suffer from skin conditions like rosacea, chilled skincare products can worsen those symptoms.
The best organic skincare brands, including Swiss Toniq, create products using delicate, all-natural ingredients. By avoiding synthetic additives and preservatives that cause more damage than good, pure organic skincare products may split and lose texture when stored in the refrigerator. Instead, find a room-temperature, low-light spot for all your favourite oils and serums. Make room for them in your medicine cabinet, cupboard, or skincare drawer.
Are There Exceptions to the No-Fridge Rule?
While what you use in your daily skincare routine does not need to be refrigerated, a few products won't be negatively affected, and you may still want to keep them chilled.
1. Pure Vitamin C
Only refrigerate vitamin C skincare products if they are water-based and made from pure vitamin C. Oftentimes vitamin C will be mixed with antioxidants and other ingredients that won’t fare as well when chilled. Pure vitamin C can also spoil under direct heat and light, so refrigeration may be a more protective storage method.
2. Sheet Masks
Popping your favourite sheet mask into the refrigerator before use can add a calming element to your self-care routine. Cooler products have been found to reduce puffiness, redness, and inflammation, and chilling stable skincare products like sheet masks are the best way to benefit from those effects.
3. Gua Sha Stones
Gua sha stones make great product application tools while also offering circulation and energizing advantages. Chilling your skincare tools rather than products help to protect delicate serums and lotions, while giving cooling and de-puffing benefits.
4. Facial Rollers
A facial stone roller is another skincare tool that may be refrigerated for added impact. Skincare tools are meant to slide over the skin, not remaining in one place for long. Keeping your tools moving will prevent any cold temperature damage while reducing facial swelling.
5. Some Eye Gels
A chilled eye gel can be so soothing and effective for tired eyes. The vasoconstriction effect of cold on dark circles, blood vessels, and the skin under your eye can tighten and lighten the appearance. Ensure that any under-eye skincare product you refrigerate is gel-based and not a cream or lotion. Gels-based solutions are more stable than lotions in low temperatures.
TikTok influencers have greatly boosted the popularity of trendy skincare items, including the skincare refrigerator. However, keeping all of your favourite daily products chilled has no real benefits, and in fact, it has some damaging effects.
With high-quality skin care, including products from Swiss Toniq, your best option is to designate a cool, dark cabinet for your serums, oils, creams, and lotions. Storage at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, will help your favourite products reach their best shelf life.
