Skincare Storage: How to store Creams, Moisturizers & Co.

To find out if your skincare products are still safe to use, here's what you need to know:

• If your skincare product shows a change in odor, color or texture, throw it out.

• If your products have been stored in extreme conditions, do not reuse them when you return home.

• If your complexion powder crumbles, it's time to throw it out.

• If your nail polish becomes pasty or sticky, don't use it again. Don't try to salvage it by adding a few drops of nail polish remover.

Your beauty products are sensitive to light, humidity and heat, so take the following skincare storage and usage steps to preserve your products for as long as possible: 

• Keep your products away from humidity, heat and bacteria-carrying fingers, to optimize their shelf life. Avoid placing them in your bathroom, as this room is often subject to temperature variations, but is also the most humid, favoring the proliferation of mold and bacteria. Forget windowsills, too: direct sunlight can damage your skincare products. It's best to store them in a cool, dry place, away from light and sources of heat and humidity, such as your bedroom. The refrigerator is also an adequate alternative to infrequently used products for storing your skincare products and preserving their virtues. Your creams can also be stored in mini-fridges in the bathroom, at a temperature of between 13 °C and 20 °C. 

• If you use accessories, clean them with hot, soapy water to prevent the development and proliferation of germs such as bacteria.

• Packaging plays a key role in keeping your skincare product in good condition. Instead of using jarred creams, use tubes or pump bottles. This prevents bacterial transmission, which could alter the product's composition and effects. These types of packaging also keep cosmetics away from heat and humidity. At Typology, we prefer this type of packaging. In fact, all the brand's face creams come in recyclable tubes. The brand has chosen aluminum, a lightweight, resistant and infinitely recyclable material for its face creams. By making the right choice of packaging, you're also helping to preserve the planet by reducing non-recyclable waste. What's more, tubes don't let air through, so consumers can use their skincare products right to the end. Last but not least, the aluminum tube offers improved shelf life.

• Some products need more attention. For example, water-based products such as creams and milks are the most sensitive. On the other hand, alcohol-based cosmetics (nail polish, deodorants) or solid products (solid soaps, pencils, lipsticks) have little risk of being contaminated and therefore of spoiling.