Beauty fridges gained a cult following in 2022, claiming to ‘revolutionise your routine’  promising to be the ‘the secret weapon you never knew you needed.’ But is there any clinical benefit to our skin when storing your products in a beauty fridge?

Leading Dermatologist and Founder of Bespoke Skin Technology, Dr Katherine Armour, formulates skincare products in between helping her patients with their skin concerns. We asked her to offer her advice on whether skincare fridges are worthy of our investment. 

Q: Based on your expertise within dermatology and formulating your own products, do you think it’s necessary to store our skincare in a beauty fridge? 

A: As a dermatologist, I’d say that SOME of your skincare products, can be stored in a beauty fridge, if you like it.

 Let’s face it, if you’re feeling tired, or a little puffy after a late night, applying something cool to your face is instantly gratifying, and feels fabulous. However, in my mind, skincare fridges are fun, but totally unnecessary.

When your skincare is created in a laboratory, one of the last steps in the process is stability testing to ensure the shelf life and confirm that bugs are unable to grow in your product (this is usually done in temperatures between 5-30 degrees Celsius). 

The packaging is also created to ensure that those ingredients that are light sensitive or adversely affected by exposure to air are protected by opaque packaging or airless pump delivery.

A skincare fridge is really just a cute storage solution for your skincare products. There is no proof that putting your skincare in a fridge will prolong its lifespan – these tests are not done in the lab. And, in fact, some skincare may be adversely affected by being kept in a cold environment. 

Products to keep out of your beauty fridge include:

• Clay masks – unless you want to use a shovel to chip it out of its packaging.
• Oil-based products – the oil and water may separate. 
• Serums – again, the ingredients may separate out.
• Facial oils – these may solidify!
  
  

Remember, that most skincare is designed to be kept at room temperature. If you enjoy applying your skincare cold, I’d stick to popping your plain moisturisers in the fridge, and keeping your more complex active products away from light and at room temperature.