Can You Put Serums in a Skincare Fridge?

Can You Put Serums in a Skincare Fridge?
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Mini refrigerators have become a trending product in the skincare world. They are great for storing some of your products to increase their shelf life while also providing a cooling sensation during application. But not all of your skincare should be stored in these little fridges.

So, can you put serums in a skincare fridge? The short answer is yes, you can put serums in a skincare fridge, but there are certain exceptions to this if you are using a serum with specific ingredients.

We have got all the info you need in this article to make sure you are making the right choice when deciding if you should put your serums in those cute mini-fridges or not.

For more info about serums check out these posts:

Tips for Using a Water-Based Serum

The Amazing Benefits of Niacinimide Serum

Serum or Moisturizer First?

Which Serums Can I Keep in My Skincare Fridge? The Do’s and Dont’s

  • Don’t keep oil-based serums in a skincare fridge. The cold temperature can cause the oil in your serum to solidify, reducing the effectiveness or preventing you from using them altogether.
  • Do store water and gel-based serums in your beauty fridge. They can benefit from refrigeration. 
  • Don’t store any serums with essential oils or fragrances in a skincare fridge. Refrigeration can harm the formulation of these products.
  • Do store serums containing ingredients such as vitamin c, benzoyl peroxide, and retinol in the fridge. The refrigerator can help prolong its shelf life and keep these active ingredients stabilized.
    • A vitamin C serum has a pretty short shelf life and also oxidizes very easily due to its sensitivity to sunlight and heat. Putting it in your skincare fridge keeps it out of the sun and prevents your serum from oxidizing as quickly.

Do You Need a Skincare Fridge?

Some of the key ingredients in serums can easily lose their magic when exposed to heat or oxygen. Take vitamin C for example. This ingredient has powerful benefits but can quickly turn harmful to your skin if it’s not stored properly. This study states that “Instability problems such as oxidation susceptibility have made incorporating vitamin C in topical formulations a challenging issue”.

The cold temperatures of skincare refrigerators are designed to help ingredients stay potent for longer. Keeping your products in the fridge also extends their shelf life, not to mention seeing your skincare neatly stocked in a handy little refrigerator is just plain satisfying. Some of these little fridges get as cold as 27 F, so they can be really handy if you love natural skincare such as DIY face masks. 

It is not absolutely necessary to own a skincare fridge to make sure your products work correctly. However, if you want to use a skincare fridge, then you should definitely do it. You will get a calming, cooling sensation when applying your products, and they can help improve the overall effectiveness of your skincare ingredients. 

Benefits of Keeping Your Serums in a Fridge

  1. Increased effectiveness– some serums could actually work better on your skin if they have been refrigerated. Eye serums/cream are one example that can be more effective when stored in a refrigerated environment.
  2. Soothe your skin- Applying your serums straight out of the refrigerator can have a calming and cooling sensation for your skin. This is great for people suffering from acne, sunburns, or rashes.
  3. Longer shelf-life: preserving your products in a skincare fridge will ensure that you can use them for the longest period of time without them going bad from sun exposure, excess heat, etc.

What Other Skincare Products Can I Store in My Fridge?

Many different types of beauty products and tools are great to store in a mini-fridge in order to preserve their shelf life, and potency, calm down sensitive skin, and reduce inflamed skin. 

1. Eye creams are one product that can be added to your mini skincare fridge. The coolness when applied to your eye area can help calm down puffiness/inflammation. 

2. Sheet masks are and eye masks feel great when they are applied to the skin after being chilled. 

3. Toners and facial mists are great to store at a cooler temperature, so these can be added to your fridge as well. 

4. Makeup cleansing balms can last much longer and keeping them in the fridge helps them maintain their intended consistency.

5. Jade rollers, gua sha stones, and other skincare tools can be placed in your fridge as well if you enjoy the cooling effects. These tools are designed to help relax/tone your face, support lymphatic drainage, and increase circulation. Storing them in a fridge will simply add a soothing and anti-inflammatory bonus to their use.

6. Certain skincare prescriptions are actually either required or recommended to be kept in a refrigerated environment. For the most part, it will be labeled on the product, but you can also clarify with your doctor.

7. Nail polish is another product to consider adding to your fridge. Even though it is not technically skincare, they have been known not to dry out as quickly when kept in the cold temps.

8. Most products that are labeled as “natural” and contain little to no preservatives should be kept in the refrigerator. This will prevent mold or bacteria from growing as quickly so you can use your products longer. 

9. Hyaluronic Acid doesn’t NEED to be kept in a skin care fridge but it won’t hurt it, and feels amazing when it is applied at a cooler temperature.

What Should I Not Keep in My Skincare Fridge

Skincare mini-fridges are an effective tool for preserving your beauty products, helping them last longer. However, it’s important to know which items should be kept in your beauty fridge, and what should stay out of it.  

What not to keep in your skincare fridge:

1. Products that contain alcohol should not be placed inside the skincare fridge as the cool temperature may change their consistency or weaken their effectiveness. This includes makeup removers, toners, and other products that contain alcohol as an active ingredient.

2. Facial oils or any oil-based products should also not be placed in the refrigerator as excessive cold temperatures can damage the ingredients or change the consistency of the oil.

3. Perfumes, lip glosses, makeup products, and other non-skincare related beauty items should not be placed inside a skin care fridge.

4. Clay masks should be kept out of the fridge. Cool temps can cause them to dry out and harden.

5. Thick moisturizers and cream emollients are often oil-based and cold temperatures can cause these products to change consistency. Keep thick moisturizers on your bathroom counter or shelf.

Can you put serums in a skincare fridge?

Can I Store My Skin Care Products in My Kitchen Fridge Instead?

No, it is not recommended to store your skin care products in the kitchen fridge instead of a dedicated skincare fridge.

Kitchen fridges are designed for food storage and often have fluctuating temperatures, odors, and humidity levels that can affect the potency and shelf-life of products.

Additionally, many kitchen fridges also contain moisture which can cause products to spoil faster.

To learn more about applying your face serums correctly, you can read here- How to Apply Face Serums

Overall, there are many skincare ingredients and tools that can have an added benefit when stored in cooler temperatures. Just remember to not keep oils or heavily fragranced items in a fridge. If a skincare fridge is something that you have been interested in and you use products that could benefit from it, this could be a great investment for you!

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