Does Your Face Cream Belong in the Refrigerator? A 3-Step Guide to Storing Beauty Products

From technologically advanced retinols to face creams that share ingredients with your cold-pressed juice, our daily beauty regimens have never been more diverse. Which begs the question: Do some of these products really need to be kept in the refrigerator rather than the medicine cabinet?

Some beauty brands think so. Los Angeles–based Odacité sells a mini-fridge designed to keep its antioxidant-rich serums at 54–59 degrees Fahrenheit so that plant extracts remain fresh for as long as possible. But before you start tossing bottles of wine and stalks of rhubarb to make room for mascaras and moisturizers, cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson and chemist turned facialist Kristina Holey say there are simple guidelines to follow when it comes to storing your beauty arsenal. Here, from dark bottles to the products you probably never imagined would share space with your Greek yogurt, are their three-step pro tips.

1. What to keep out of direct sunlight:
Both Wilson and Holey agree that nothing from your beauty haul should ever be exposed to the fluctuating temperatures of steamy bathrooms or sun-soaked windowsills, as heat and light can change chemical structures, degrading a product’s potency and possibly creating an environment for bacterial growth. But certain ingredients are more prone to temperature-caused destabilization and should always be kept cool: Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), retinol, benzoyl peroxide, DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid), and anything that’s preservative-free including organic lipsticks and cheek stains. Wilson stores these items on the lowest shelf in her home office, away from direct sunlight. “From my bedroom, my office is on the way to the bathroom, so it’s easy to pick them up and put them back,” she says. However, the latest high-tech nano formulas are more stable and Wilson says they don’t require “such tender loving care.”
 
2. What to keep in the dark:
Organic creams and serums, says Holey, should be treated like anything you would buy at the farmer’s market. “The key to using natural lines is to only buy what you will use in the next month or so for efficacy.” She evens trades out mascara and lipstick after about four weeks. Holey stores facial products in a black linen bag on her bedroom vanity. “I put facial oils on my body, so everything is in the same bag. I keep one bottle of In Fiore Face Oil Concentré in my purse. I move through it quickly so I’m not too concerned about it changing too much chemically,” she adds.

Dark bottles will also help prolong the efficacy of natural oils, serums, and sunscreens. But, the quickest tip for preserving any product is to put a lid on it. Oxidation—the chemical change that happens when oil comes into contact with air—can have more negative effects than temperature, resulting in spoiled solutions. Holey suggests closing bottles immediately after using them—especially if a shower is running—to keep out air and steam.
 
3. When keeping cool is necessary:
Some products, however, truly do last longer under cold temperatures, and the ones that will find a home among your produce may surprise you. Wilson acknowledges that she refrigerates her favorite perfumes, especially the “fine fragrances that I want to preserve for more than a year.” She says cold temperatures help slow the separation process of key ingredients in mixtures. “Nail polish is all about suspension,” she says. “Keeping the pigments suspended in the formula will preserve the life of the polish.”

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