Do you really need a beauty fridge? The pros and cons of this IG-popular gadget
Beauty fridges started popping up on everybody’s Instagram feeds about a couple of years ago. It’s not that we can’t - or didn’t - use to store our skincare and makeup in an ol’ regular fridge, but there’s just something so luxurious and thus covetable about having a mini fridge specifically made to house our prized beauty possessions right on our desk. But do we really need it aside from the pretty IG content that we can get out of it?
Honestly, I didn’t get a beauty fridge until my friend Cheryl, the kind owner of Bright Brands PH, sent over The Beauty Fridge (P7,500 at brightbrands.ph). They are the official distributors in the Philippines of The Beauty Fridge, which is a brand that originated from Australia. It sits beautifully on my table (love that blush shade), but of course the real selling point is that it keeps my beauty products cold.
Here are the benefits of keeping skincare and makeup in a beauty fridge:
If you love organic or natural products with minimal preservatives, it pays to store them in a fridge to extend their shelf life. For example, most Lush products I’ve tried goes rancid within 6-10 months, since they have many “self-preserving” items. They’re very open about the shelf life of their products, but in the PH their products seem to go bad faster than stated. Storing them in a fridge will perhaps add an extra 2-3 months. Remember, the Philippines is a very hot and humid country, so no-preservative or self-preserving beauty products are easily affected by the climate.
If you have very expensive skincare, you will want to prolong their shelf life for as long as possible. Most beauty products from luxury brands of course go into stability testing and use good preservatives so that they do not easily get unstable, discolor, or go rancid even in extreme conditions. But if you don’t use them up as fast as you should, then you may want to protect your investment for as long as possible by storing them in a fridge. It will definitely keep your products fresh for a bit longer.
Beauty fridges are great for keeping our jade or quartz beauty tools! The cooling effect from these stone massagers helps to soothe and de-puff skin.
If your regular fridge is too far from your beauty area and you also keep messy or smelly foods inside, then you might appreciate having a beauty fridge by your desk as you do your normal routine. You can also keep a few drink bottles too, if you like, as it’s cool enough inside to enable you to have a cold drink.
If your beauty area is in a hot corner of the house, either you move your beauty area or well, get a fridge. Direct sunlight and hot temps don’t jive well with any beauty product!
The Beauty Fridge looks small but is actually pretty roomy inside for storing a lot of products. This many products takes only about 30% of the fridge space. I like that there are two detachable trays so I can choose how to organize everything.
And here are the cons of having a beauty fridge:
The cost. There’s no going around it, this is a pretty expensive gadget! Add to that the electricity cost too. I’ve had mine for about three months now, and while there is a minimal increase, it’s not super noticeable naman. Definitely less than P800 for me.
The good news is that you don’t technically need it NEED it. As I mentioned above, most beauty products pass through stability testing, so they will last for as long as stated in the packaging. If your moisturizer says on the packaging that it’s good for 12 months after opening, then it likely is as long as you store it in a cool dry place!
It takes up a lot of space. If you don’t have a lot of extra space for your beauty area, then this will take up a lot of valuable real estate. I had to seriously clear up and reorganize my table just so I can have a corner for this.
So do you need a beauty fridge in your life? As always, it depends. If you have the budget and the need for it, then you should get one! If it’s a no to both then you can give it a pass. Let me know what you think!
