While adorable, a mini fridge specifically designed to play home to all of your beauty products can't help but appear widely unnecessary. Keeping beauty products in the fridge is by no means a new trend but the craze to have a designated beauty fridge most definitely is. We can thank Instagram for the desire for a mini makeup fridge as the trend first began thanks to users posting snaps of an adorably tiny fridge, often in a millennial pink shade, curated with 'gram-worthy skincare essentials.
A beauty mini fridge screams luxury and to be fair, the reassurance of knowing your face mask won't be mistakenly be eaten by your boyfriend (we've all had that fight) is rather appealing. But do you actually need one? In short, probably not but that answer stems solely from the emphasis on the word need.
Keeping your skincare cold isn't completely necessary. However, it does have its benefits. Chilling your beauty products can not only extend their life span and reduce puffiness but it can also prevent bacteria from forming in opened creams, masks and serums.
That said, not all your beauty products belong in the fridge. Keeping a facial roller at a cooling temperature is advised but putting a powder-based highlighter, is not. Below is a definitive guide as to what products do and do not belong in the fridge.
Beauty Products You SHOULD Keep In The Fridge:
A facial roller.
Why: Not only will a cool facial roller feel nothing short of delicious on your skin but it also helps to boost lymphatic drainage which makes your skin feel more sculpted and firm.
Eye Creams
Why: A chilled eye cream will constrict blood vessels and help to decrease redness and swelling.
Anything containing Vitamin C.
Why: The cold temperature will help preserve the power and benefits of the vitamin.
Sheet and face masks
Why: Both sheet and face masks will feel soothing on your skin when chilled. It will also boost radiance, reduce swelling, de-puff and be a godsend after an intense facial or laser treatment.
Face mists
Why: Similar to sheet masks, a chilled face mist will boost radiance and feel extra delicious after a long day in the sun.
Anything organic or natural
Why: Organic and natural products are renowned for having short shelf lives. By storing these products in the fridge, the low temperature will help to prevent the rapid expiration date whilst slowing bacteria growth.
Eyeliner
Why: Many makeup artists swear by this hack of storing your eyeliner in a fridge for more precise lines. Placing your eyeliner in the fridge for ten minutes before you sharpen will give you wings so sharp, they could cut glass.
Beauty Products You Should NOT Keep In The Fridge:
Makeup in general
Why: Make-up won't receive any benefits from being refrigerated. Most makeup products already have a long shelf life so refrigerating these products don't need help in extending their life span. The cold temperature will also harden your products making it increasingly more difficult to use your eyeshadow, foundation or lipstick.
Nail polish
Why: Chilling nail polish will cause phase-separation which is when the water in the polish separates from the other chemicals, leaving you with clumpy polish. Not to mention the colour will also alter.
Face and body oils
Why: Just like you wouldn't store cooking oil in the fridge, the same rule applies for face and body oils. Chilling these products will cause the formula to separate and may result in the product freezing solid.
Balms
Why: Similar to face and body oils, refrigerating any balms will cause the product to separate and eventually freeze solid.
Beauty Products You CAN Keep In The Fridge But There Are Risks:
Serums
Why: While serums are widely considered to be the number one product that should live in your fridge, some specialists point out that the cold temperatures won't impact or activate live ingredients like retinol which therefore makes using a serum, useless.
Perfume
Why: Refrigerating perfume can increase the life span of fragrance but the cold temperature may impact the scent.
While it's okay for beauty products to smell like food, it's not okay for food to smell like makeup so should you skip out on buying a designated beauty fridge, be sure those products are tightly closed
