Off and on, your lipsticks have been lying static next to those surly gherkins in the jar in the refrigerator. Your mini nail paints have sometimes visited the sausage drawer in the machine. Now comes the cool solution: the beauty fridge. Touted as the edgiest must-have for every skincare devotee, it is cruising its way up the beauty and skin health sweepstakes this season.
It comes in pastel colours and sorbet hues. Says Dr. Rinky Kapoor, consultant dermatologist and dermato-surgeon, The Esthetic Clinics, “The beauty fridge maintains the consistency of skincare products, lending better longevity to the formulations. In India, with the tropical climate, there is always the risk of product spoilage owing to bacteria, yeast, and mould. When you are using dermatologically recommended preparations, with active ingredients, storing them in a separate, sterile environment increases its shelf life.”
But products come with their own expiry dates, and laced with appropriate preservatives, then why drum the hum? “The low temperature decreases the deactivation of preservatives and prompts the active ingredients, making sure that they are absorbed better by the skin,” Kapoor explains. “Cooling the products helps tighten the pores, de-puff the skin and encourages better lymphatic drainage. When you apply cooling products on the skin, it helps constrict the blood vessels under the skin. “This, in turn, reduces inflammation and redness, and instead helps in hydrating, soothing and brightening,” she says. Effectively, this translates to decreased sebum production (goodbye acne!) and increased elasticity (hello,
young skin!).
What about face mists, sheet masks and face gym tools? Says
Dr Madhulika Mhatre, consultant dermatologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, Mumbai. “Applying cooling products such as an eye cream, certain masks and jade rollers can feel pleasing, particularly for irritated skin. Keeping a hydrating mist or a gentle moisturiser in the fridge can have a calming effect, especially if one suffers from rosacea or has sun sensitivity. For treating under-eye puffiness, using fridge stored eye-creams or masks, or quartz rollers, works better in calming the delicate undereye skin.” If hesitant, you don’t have to jockey ahead right away and invest in a beauty fridge, but it is worth considering to make your potions last much longer.
Besides, for fabulous pictures on the gram, the small mini fridge (SMF) panders to your hidden Cleopatra. “You can store products at a constant temperature, away from sunlight, to maintain their beneficial ingredients for longer, especially products with Vitamin C and retinol,” says Mhatre. “But be careful,” she warns. Facial oils and serums, if stored in a fridge, can solidify, leaving them lumpy and difficult to work into the skin, inadvertently rendering it ineffective, according to her.
Kapoor seconds that. It is definitley a tricky terrain as far as liquids go. “Cold air can cause the oils to separate from the product, freeze, and turn rancid. Similarly, for clay-based preparations. Do not
cool what you use daily, as the frequent temperature changes can affect efficacy and formulation.
The same rule applies for mascaras and eye pencils (they turn crumbly), powder-based makeup (can be ruined by moisture), and liquid foundation (can split into the water, oil, pigment),” she shares. If you are a big fan of using iced tea bags or cool cucumber slices to de-puff your undereye area, you know how the temperature dip enhances the experience of applying the preparations. Make a way to rev up your self-care rituals. Version 2.0.