Refrigerator For Skincare Products

Professional Skincare Fridges

All About Skin Care Mini Fridges and Why You Should Get One for Yourself or Your Business

As someone living in 2021, you must have certainly seen those tiny, trendy, and cute mini refrigerators for skin care that are popping up all over social media. As of May 2021, there are more than 22,200 posts with the tag #skincarefridge on Instagram and this is expected to grow more in the coming years. But why does everyone have a mini fridge -- everyone except you at least? Here’s the breakdown.

Why Do You Need a Skin Care Fridge?

Skin care mini fridges are small refrigerators that are built specifically to store skin care and beauty products. The first skin care fridge was said to be created with organic skin care products in mind. Because of the rise of natural and organic skin care that use very little to no preservatives at all, people have resorted to putting their skin care products in their regular refrigerators. And to be honest, it doesn’t feel as fancy pulling out and indulging in a sheet mask when it was just right beside the pasta that was leftover from dinner 2 nights ago.

Benefits of a Skin Care Fridge

If you’re someone who is into organic and natural skin care, you have probably already realized why a skin care fridge might be essential. It does, after all, help extend the shelf life of your products. However, if you’re someone with normal, everyday skin care products and you’re still not convinced as to why you should get one, here are some benefits to buying and using a skin care fridge.

1. Chilled skin care products are known to calm the skin. Imagine accidentally touching a hot pan and rushing to the sink to run your hand under cold water. That’s what the cold does. It helps calm the skin from any irritations, breakouts, and inflammation.
2. The cold temperature helps products last longer. Generally speaking, skin care products are tested for stability before they are launched. Hence, they are expected to be left at room temperature without sacrificing the quality and shelf life. However, that is not the case for products that do not use preservatives. For organic and natural products, it is important to keep them chilled to lengthen their shelf life and avoid any discoloration, oxidation, or texture changes.
3. The fridge will help keep germs and bacteria away from your skin care products the same way it helps keep our food clean and fresh.
4. Cold products help depuff the skin. Remember all those scenes in TV shows where ladies put chilled cucumbers on their eyes? It is to help them depuff the area surrounding their eyes. Similarly, when you use products that are chilled or cold, it helps calm the skin down and decrease any puffiness that may be present.
5. It’s super instagrammable. The skin care fridge is the ultimate skin care aesthetic these days and it makes every skin care routine feel super luxurious.

Skin Care Products that Need to be Refrigerated

So which products should you keep in your skin care fridge? As mentioned, all products that are organic, natural, and preservative-free must be kept in a fridge to lengthen their shelf life the same way we keep our fruits in the refrigerator.

Aside from that, Vitamin C serums would also benefit from being stored in a fridge. Vitamin C is an active ingredient and should not be exposed to UV light as much as possible, especially during storage.

Water based products such as hydrating toners, aloe gel, mists, and sheet masks would also be ideal products to be stored in a skin care fridge for the simple reason that it will feel absolutely great when you apply it on your skin.

Ampoules that are individually packed for single-use may also be put in a skin care fridge, especially since these are often made with a lot of active ingredients. 

Eye creams tend to help depuff the under eye area faster when it’s put in the fridge because the coolness helps reduce the fluid retention in the eye area while sleeping.

On top of all these, tools like jade rollers and other facial rollers would feel luxurious when used cold. They also help calm the skin faster when chilled.

Things that Should Not be Stored in a Skin Care Fridge

Now that we know which ones have to be put in a skin care fridge, we also have to understand which products should not be placed in there.

Products that are silicone-based as well as sunscreens are more stable when stored at room temperature. The formula for such products may get hard or even separate when stored in a fridge or if the temperature gets too cold.

Skin care products with weird or unusual consistencies such as those with jelly, jam, memory foam, or whipped cream-like textures are also expected to be affected negatively by a change in temperature.

Creams and products with a lot of oil or wax may also solidify when stored in a colder than usual environment.

What Sizes are Available for Skincare Fridges?

Skin care fridges generally come in two sizes: 4 liters or 10 liters. The 4-liter fridge can hold 6 12-oz cans while the 10-liter ones can hold a dozen 12-oz cans. In terms of serums, creams, and sheet masks, that is already a whole lot of room. Specifically, you can fit 3 bottles of serums, a toner, an eye cream, around a dozen sheet masks, and a roller, in a 4-liter fridge without the dividing shelf.  Of course, you can fit double that and more in a 10-liter fridge.

There are also 12-liter versions of the fridge but there are very few brands that carry this size.

When buying a skin care mini fridge, opt for those that have removable dividers so that you have more freedom in terms of what products to put inside.

How Much would a Skin Care Fridge Cost Me?

There are skin care fridges for all sizes budgets. It can range from US$ 40 to US180 depending on the kind, size, or brand you buy. When on sale, you can get a 4-liter fridge for as low as US$ 32, 10-liter one can go for around US$ 90, while a 12-liter one will fetch US$ 180 (US$ 150 on sale). Of course there’s also a 15-liter option, but that’s already a borderline hotel room fridge, if you ask me.

What is the Purpose of a Skin Care Fridge?

So what purpose does it serve other than to help keep skin care cool? Well, a skin care fridge serves a different purpose for each person, especially for those in the beauty industry.

Skin Care Fridges For Estheticians

For estheticians, a skin care fridge may be a great place to put your skin care products and concoctions such as serums and masks so that clients will feel more relaxed when the cold products touch their skin. You should also place facial rollers and gua shas inside the fridge to keep them cool for the next client.

Skin Care Fridges for Medspa

Some skin care fridges have both a heating and cooling effect so if you have a med spa, you can use a skin care fridge to warm up a wet towel for clients before each session. This will help your clients feel relaxed for their sesion and can also assist in the procedures that you will do. Products like self tanners are also recommended to be kept away from heat, hence should be placed in a skin care fridge.

Skin Care Fridges for Makeup Artists

For makeup artists, storing lipsticks, primers, and foundations in a mini fridge would be a good idea because it will help them either increase the product life span, or in the case of lipsticks, stop them from melting. Wax-based makeup products such as eyeliners and brow pencils are also ideal candidates for storing in the fridge because the cold temperature makes the wax harder, enabling the user to create a more precise line.

Skin Care Fridges for Home Use

There are no rules for using a skin care fridge at home. You can put your skin care in it. That includes sheet masks, vitamin Cs, serums, moisturizers, eye creams, face rollers, gua shas-- the possibilities are absolutely endless. You can even put a can of beer or some cheese in there so you can grab a small drink and snack while you’re doing your skin care routine. It’s convenient and versatile.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Do Skincare Fridges Need to be Plugged in?

Yes, skin care fridges are operated by plugging them into a power source, be it a wall outlet or on an extension cord. Some can even be plugged into a car's power supply by just using a dedicated car adapter. These fridges immediately cool down once plugged and will continuously run while they are plugged into a power source and switched on.

Do Skincare Fridges Use a Lot of Electricity?

Refrigerators cycle between turning on and off as needed in order to maintain the required internal temperature. Skin care mini fridges work the same way, hence, the compressor will turn off when it is cool enough, and will turn on again when the coldness is lost. Overall, due to its size, it uses minimal electricity at roughly 0.5/kWh per day which is relatively small, especially when compared to other small appliances which can use up to 1.37/kWh when in use.

What Should a Skin Care Fridge’s Temperature be?

Skin care fridge temperatures range between 45 to 50 degrees fahrenheit. However, some models have the option of setting the temperature and some experts recommend setting the temperature at 55 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit which is a safe and optimal range for skin care that helps avoid fluctuations in storage temperature.

Summary

Overall, a skin care mini fridge is the new hottest and trendiest thing in the beauty and skin care industry. Beauty gurus love it, estheticians love it, and men and women all over the world love it.

Now the ultimate question would be, is a skin care fridge worth it and should you get one for yourself or for your business?

The answer is yes. A skin care fridge helps keep your skin care products organized and chilled while also increasing their shelf life and effectiveness. The calming effect of the cold on the skin is also a huge plus when it comes to using a skin care mini fridge. This is especially true for those with skin conditions like rosacea and eczema because the cold helps calm the skin down and effectively reduce the inflammation.

Makeup artists from hot and humid places would benefit a lot from a product like this because it will really aid in keeping those lipsticks, eyeliners, and eyebrow products in tip top shape.

Estheticians will also find great use for the skin care fridge because they can place skin care products, as well as tools like gua shas and rollers inside to give clients a very relaxing experience while in their care.

Med spas can also invest in a skin care fridge to have a place to store all their products that have to be kept away from heat such as tanners and the likes.

Lastly, for normal, everyday people, a skin care fridge adds an oomph to that spa and pamper day experience at home. There is a huge difference in ambiance whenever you take your skin care products out from the regular refrigerator where you will also encounter yesterday’s lunch and last night’s dinner versus getting them from a sleek and trendy looking mini fridge, sitting pretty on top of your vanity, looking instagrammable every second of the day. Remember, skin care is self care. And as Marie Kondo says, find things that spark joy and let go of the things that don’t.

So, if you are looking for a sign on whether you should get that skin care mini fridge, this is the sign you are looking for.