Do I REALLY Need A Skincare Fridge?
Mini skincare refrigerators are super cute and can provide cooling benefits to the skin for certain products like toners, sheet masks, or stone tools like gua sha or rollers. But are they really necessary or can they make your products last longer? Ehhh, it depends.
When we refrigerate food it lasts longer, right? So it's easy to assume the same goes for beauty products. Here's the thing, if a product contains water, a preservative system is needed and will undergo testing to be shelf-stable. (Oils don't require preservatives.) Products that don’t contain preservatives have a shorter shelf life anyway and keep in mind refrigeration doesn’t mean preservation. So unless it specifically says on the packaging to refrigerate, it’s not really necessary.
The testing I mentioned above is called stability and microbiological stability testing and is performed when beauty products are developed. This is when the formulator puts the formula in a consistent temperature and/or humidity-controlled environment. It's often left in this environment for several months and checked periodically for color changes, odor, separation of ingredients, pH, bacteria, molds/yeasts, etc. If the formula doesn't pass these tests, the formula is adjusted until it can pass. This test ensures the stability and safety of the product WITHOUT refrigeration.
In addition, colder temperatures could potentially have a negative effect on the formula. Many skincare ingredients are sensitive to extreme temperatures and can actually break down the ingredients faster or they can even lose efficacy. I also would not recommend putting oils, balms, or waxy products in the fridge as they can solidify, make it harder to use, and/or hinder absorption into the skin.
What about non-stable ingredients like vitamin C serums or retinoids?
Much of this depends on the packaging like a dark or airless package. And after a long conversation with a cosmetic chemist I work with, I was told it *may* help slightly slow down the oxidation process. But keep in mind oxygen is still present in a refrigerator! So, you may find value in refrigerating these products or not, it’s up to you!
