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Cool(ing) Cosmetics

The new thing to have is a mini cosmetics fridge. There are so many questions regarding this: Is it worth it, what can you keep in it, do you really need it…?
As I am a addict to all things cute, and let’s be honest, this is SO CUTE!, I decided to do some research. I have always kept eye creams and nail polish in my fridge (this is a trick I picked up from my gran), but other cosmetics?
Most skin care products are formulated to withstand different temperatures, that has always been my perception as technically they should be stable at room temperature.

What products are best to be kept cooled?
So let’s those without the technical mumbo-jumbo.
Antioxidants, like vitamin C, can be really unstable and could oxidize over time which can be bad for your skin, at the very least it can be very ineffective.
Other ingredients are retinoids. They’re derived from vitamin A, so they’re considered antioxidants as well.
If you can keep these in a fridge, you’re prolonging the shelf life of the products and you’re ensuring their stability so that you can get the full benefits out of your products. In a lot of ways, a skincare fridge is also protecting your products.
Other products you might want to keep in your skincare fridge are products that you want to have a cooling effect with, this is the reason my eye-creams has always been in the fridge. (The cold helps to temporarily constrict the blood vessels, being a sinus-sufferer, this is my go-to for those puffy sinus-eyes.)
Your toners, sheet masks, your mists, even skin care tools, such as your jade rollers, facial massagers, are great for refrigeration Any of the types of products that you want to have that extra refreshing feel to your skin. They can also be really soothing to the skin and even de-puffing to the skin when they have that cold feel to them.
People that have itchy skin, or skin conditions like eczema or rosacea can really benefit from products being put into a skincare fridge. This goes back to that soothing and cooling sensation that you get from cold products that you put on your skin. A chilled moisturizer or body cream, really helps to take away the itch without steroids.
For those of you that use benzoyl peroxide to treat your acne, this can also benefit from being stored in a skincare refrigerator. It starts to denature at room temperature, but it’s only a real problem if you live in extremely hot regions.
The last type of product that you might want to keep in a skincare fridge are any natural organic products with no preservatives in them. You definitely want to make sure that they don’t get any bacterial growth, so you would want to keep them in a skincare fridge.
That are all the reasons why you should have a skincare fridge and the types of products to use with it.

The cons of using a mini skincare fridge
Before you climb on the internet to track one down, consider the cons too.
If you are going to store any of your products in your skincare fridge, you want to be very mindful of the fluctuating temperature.
You will have to be mindful of any fluctuating temperatures, you don’t want to take your product out and leave it out for a long period of time. The fluctuation from cold to hot could potentially damage your product. It is similar to ice cream, if it defrosts, you could freeze it again but it will never be the same!
Another con of a skincare fridge is that it could change the consistency of some products, cream-based products like moisturizers or balms and ointments, could potentially become slightly harder and more difficult to use. Warming with your fingers should do the trick to get it back to normal though.
Another thing you should not keep in your skincare fridge is anything that is oil-based. Your oil-based serums, your hair oils, your face oils, anything like that could really become a problem in your skincare fridge, because you could disrupt the emulsion and then all the ingredients could end up separating.
The verdict
Is it a necessity? No
Is it readily available in South Africa? Not yet
Can it help? Definitely.
Is cute? Oh yeah.
Do I need it? Possibly
Do I want it? Yes please!
It’s nice to have, but your kitchen refrigerator will also do the job.

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