60% of people make this mistake with skincare and their bathroom Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Beauty 60% of people are making this skincare storage mistake By Kanika Banwait - March 4, 2022 Even though our commitment to a solid skincare routine has increased since the pandemic started, it feels like there’s still a lot to learn. Whether it’s finding out about the latest products that have got everyone talking, or realising you’ve been cleansing your face wrong this whole time, there’s always something new happening on the beauty scene. But once you’ve built up your collection of products, where do you store them? Research carried out by online skincare retailer Face the Future has found the majority of people are actually storing their beauty products in the wrong place. Getty Images After surveying over 2,000 people, the research found that 61 per cent of respondents said they keep at least some of their skincare products in the bathroom. But it turns out that’s actually ‘one of the worst spots to keep your skincare,’ according to Kimberley Hulme, head of clinic at Face the Future. ‘I’m not at all surprised that so many people are opting to store their skincare products in their bathroom. Keeping your skincare close to where you shower and wash your face can seem like an obvious choice,’ she said. ‘I’m sure people would be shocked to learn that the bathroom is actually one of the worst spots to keep your skincare and can cut the shelf life of your products down by as much as half.’ Eek! Why is the bathroom so bad for skincare Well, it’s because products are susceptible to changes in temperature, so that post-shower heat and humidity isn’t doing your serums, moisturisers or masks any good. Kimberley explains: ‘The rapid heating and cooling that takes place can fundamentally change the texture of a product and make it more watery – ultimately diluting its effectiveness.’ ‘Storing your skincare in a more stable environment can help to prevent your products from showing signs of expiry well before they should,’ she continued. Getty Images Is all skincare bad in the bathroom Basically, it’s all about the container the product is stored in. Jars are deemed the worst because they let in air and light, causing ingredients to deteriorate. Vitamin C and retinols are also degraded by light and heat. You may think scrubs and cleansers are supposed to be in the bathroom, because you need to be near a sink to use them, right? Well, they too are susceptible to damage if not stored correctly. Even body wash may need to be kept away from direct water, as droplets of moisture can dilute the formula. Pumps are the most protective container, but if gunk builds up on the nozzle between uses, it can harbour bacteria. How do I tell if my skincare has gone bad Kimberley suggests keeping an eye out for ‘any changes in consistency and appearance that could suggest a product is no longer safe to use’. ‘If a product starts to look or smell different to how it did when first opened, this is a really obvious sign that you should get rid. If you are choosing to keep any products in the bathroom, make sure that they are always completely sealed to help prevent the build-up of bacteria,’ she said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Face the Future (@facethe_future) How should I store my skincare Face the Future advises storing skincare somewhere away from natural light, in a drawer or cupboard – this will keep it at its best for as long as possible. The ideal temperature to store products is between 15-25°C, so despite recent beauty trends for ice-cold skincare methods, Kimberley warns you shouldn’t put products in the fridge. ‘While we have seen a real uptick in recent years of people opting to store their skincare in the fridge, we would never advise this. Just like with a warm bathroom, the low temperature within a fridge is well outside the recommended range for skincare and will most likely result in products splitting or the active ingredients becoming docile,’ she said. 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