Annie Vischer, beauty editor
When it comes to beauty, Instagram is getting its thrills from the chills, but are there any real benefits to refrigerating products? Annie Vischer investigates
‘Storing skincare favourites in a mini fridge is the latest thing on Instagram, and I for one couldn’t wait to run the craze past the experts. Expect impassioned responses and a Chardonnay shout-out.’
blessed with a few minutes to spare? Pop the hashtag #beautyfridge into your Instagram search bar and prepare to marvel as myriad uber-styled images spring up of doll-sized refrigerators brimming with the most Gram-worthy products (even, inexplicably, a candle). It seems the minifridge has evolved from student booze caddy to ultimate grooming must-have. But while the beauty-fridge bandwagon is speeding through social media faster than the cork out of their investors’ bottles of Bolly, is there any substance behind the hype?
FAD ALERT
Paula’s Choice Skincare founder and selfproclaimed ‘cosmetics cop’ Paula Begoun is quick to dismiss talk of the benefits. ‘Keeping your skincare in a beauty fridge isn’t beneficial in the slightest,’ she scoffs. ‘In fact, it’s terrible for the product as it has the reverse effect: compromising and eventually destroying the efficacy of the formula.’ Strong words, but David Petrusich, director of education at Herbivore Botanicals, doesn’t disagree. ‘If some products are kept too cold, the formula can temporarily become more viscous or thick in consistency,’ making them more difficult to apply and for the skin to absorb.
ALL PUFFERY?
Why, then, do lauded buys like Squish Cheeky Cherry Eye & Cheek Masks, £15, and Elemental Herbology Radiance & Vitality Nutrition Infusion Sheet Masks, £35, recommend refrigeration on their packaging? For oculoplastic surgeon and aesthetic doctor Maryam Zamani, the main function of chilling skincare products is to de-puff. She explains, ‘Coolness in a skincare product or tool causes tiny blood vessels in the skin to constrict and reduce swelling.’ Indeed, popping on a prechilled MZ Skin Vitamin-infused Facial Treatment Mask, £90 for five, during a Sunday skin session helps take down puffiness in a matter of minutes.
LET’S ROLL
‘Twelve years ago, I worked at Space NK and I remember one of my colleagues kept absolutely everything in the fridge,’ says make-up artist to the stars Katie Jane Hughes. She has since reserved shelf space in her own fridge, but only for ‘de-puffing face tools and my favourite NOTO Botanics Moisture Riser Cream, £40’.
‘Chilled crystal rollers have a greater effect when it comes to de-puffing,’ says Herbivore’s David Petrusich, ‘and I keep facial mists in the fridge on hot days to inject moisture into the skin.’ Skincare guru Dr Murad agrees that, while it’s not strictly necessary, ‘keeping your eye serum or gel moisturiser refrigerated in summer is refreshing on puffy, overheated skin.’
BE COOL
So, de-puffing products aside, where do we stand when it comes to shoving the rest of our beauty regalia in a mini Smeg? Well, there is no research to support any chemical benefit. ‘It is best to keep your skincare out of damp areas, and away from direct sunlight,’ sums up Dr Murad. ‘But on a dressing table or in a medicine cabinet is just fine.’ A final word from cosmetics cop Begoun? ‘Keep your beauty fridge for chilling your Chardonnay.’ Noted.