Refrigerating Your Skin Care Products

Most skin care makers on the market still do not ask customers to refrigerate their products even though we are now getting used to buying and storing the more fragile cold-press, unrefined plant oils, such as almond, avocado, pumpkin, and sunflower and food supplements such as probiotics and primrose oil in the refrigerator. We are coming around to understanding that by being willing to refrigerate these products, we are serving ourselves: their flavor and health benefits are protected and shelf life extended.

When investing in highest quality, organic skin care products made from alive, unrefined, plant-based ingredients, it is worth the effort to protect the aliveness, the life force contained within.

We think hard about it on our end and that is why we use only small amounts of natural preservatives and antioxidants to protect the product and not make it drying, harsh, or allergenic. We want the product to remain gentle and “alive.” While other manufacturers use up to 4% of preservatives in a product, we most often use from 0.5% to 1% only.

Still, we strive for our products to be stable at room temperature for shorter periods of time. You can keep your face cleansers, facial oils, and moisturizers at room temperature if you plan on using them daily and using them up within 3 to 5 months.

Our aloe-based products such as Nap in the Meadow Face Serum and Carrot-a-Day Serum should also be refrigerated at all times to preserve their antioxidant levels, freshness, potency, color, and texture. We don't recommend taking these more fragile products on trips where refrigerating is usually not feasible.

We recommend that you store our premoistened face masks and face scrub in the refrigerator at all times between uses to preserve the consistency (you don’t want clay-based products to dry out). Close the lid tightly after each use. In addition, to protect all the products from microbial contamination, reach into the jar with freshly cleaned, dry hands. Our powder products can be stored at room temperature at all times.

If you are taking a break from using a particular product, such as saving it for a different season, keep it in the refrigerator (for up to 3–4 months) until you are ready to start using it again.

It is also important to shield the contents of the jars and bottles from light. We have decided to use clear containers for most products to make it easier for you to see the consistency on a given day (which can change depending on temperature) and how much is left. Store all products in clear containers inside cabinets to protect the properties of the plant and essential oils from light damage.