Can makeup freeze? This is an important question especially considering the fact that you invest a lot of money into looking beautiful, it’s important to know how to take care of your makeup products so they last as long as possible.
Finding the right makeup can be like striking gold. It can take your everyday look and turn it into an effortless, million-dollar look in minutes. However, good makeup often isn’t cheap. In fact, finding a solid foundation, concealer, mascara, and other makeup basics can add up to hundreds of dollars fast. You probably make sure your makeup products are stored correctly, sealed tightly, and handled gently.
Along with these precautions, knowing what temperature to store your makeup products can make or break your makeup experience. If you’ve ever wondered how temperature affects makeup and whether it can freeze or melt, the answer is yes, make can freeze.
However, there’s a bit more science behind how makeup reacts to different temperature conditions than a simple yes or no. I will down everything you need to know about how temperature affects makeup, and how you can store your makeup correctly!
Does Temperature Affect Makeup?
So, if you’re reading this, you want to know the answer to whether temperature affects makeup. The short answer is, yes. Temperature can have a variety of effects on makeup. However, these effects depend on whether the temperatures are extremely hot or extremely cold and what kind of makeup you own.
Here’s a quick breakdown on how different temperatures can affect different kinds of makeup.
Cold Temperatures
When you buy a makeup product, you want to be sure to avoid extremely cold temperatures. Cold weather and freezing conditions can ruin your makeup by altering the chemical formula.
Especially if you have a liquid foundation, freezing temperatures can cause the water in your liquid makeup to expand. Your container can break, even if it’s plastic or glass, and your foundation will be exposed to bacteria.
You might think you can wait until your liquid foundation melts to use it, but this is unfortunately not the case. If your liquid foundation or beauty product has frozen and melted again, part of the water content has likely evaporated. This means, when you go to use it, it won’t have the same consistency as it did originally.
Freezing temperatures can also affect the enzymes contained in some makeup products. If your makeup freezes, it undergoes changes to its chemical structure, altering the enzymes and proteins that help it do its job.
Again, liquid beauty products are at a higher risk of undergoing chemical alterations due to temperature.
Warm Temperatures
It’s also important to avoid extremely warm conditions as this can ruin some makeup products as well. If you live in warm in a warmer climate and deal with hot indoors, it’s important to know the risk of leaving your makeup somewhere warm.
Heat acts as a catalyst to separate the ingredients in your makeup product. Even if you have natural makeup, there are oils, water, waxes, and other ingredients that can separate when enough heat is involved.
In addition, warm steam or severe humidity can crack powder makeup and add water. Even leaving your makeup on the counter by the sun can lead to ruined makeup.
Can You Freeze Makeup Foundation?
Foundation is one of the staples of beauty and makeup. It lays the basis for the rest of your makeup, gives you a clean canvas to work on, and ties everything else together. Because of this role, it’s one of the important pieces of your makeup look to take care of.
Some people swear by leaving their foundation in the fridge or in colder conditions, but there’s not really any good reason for this. In fact, the risk here is much greater than the reward.
If foundation freezes, the water content can decrease due to evaporation, the container can break, and the overall chemical structure of your product will be altered. This can change the texture of your foundation, which will change how it sits on your face and blends in.
Foundation that has been frozen often becomes thicker, chunkier, and looks textured after application. This is the exact opposite of what most people are going for when they apply foundation. Avoid leaving your foundation in any cold areas, as this will likely send you on a trip to the store for a new one!
What Happens if Makeup Foundation Freezes?
If you’ve accidentally left your foundation in colder conditions and it’s frozen, it may not be the end of the world. Depending on how cold it is, what your foundation is made of, and how long it was left, you may still be able to keep using the product.
The first thing you should do is thaw your foundation. If it’s frozen, you want to make sure the thawing process is gentle. Don’t heat it up quickly, as this can make the situation worse. Instead, leave it out in a room temperature area and let it sit for a few hours or until completely thawed.
Once it’s completely thawed, open the bottle and take a look at the consistency. If it seems normal or only slightly changed, you can try to use it. If it’s more difficult to apply or seems like the consistency has changed, you may want to consider tossing it.
Is Freezing Mascara Ruined?
Not only can liquid foundation makeup freeze and ruin your makeup product but so can mascara. Any makeup product with liquid or water ingredients is prone to freezing and undergoing enzymatic or protein-related chemical changes. These alter the structure of the product and can ruin them.
However, not every frozen foundation or mascara is necessarily ruined. The most common result of leaving mascara in the cold is early thickening. Most mascaras last for around three months before they become too thick or clumpy to use.
If your mascara has frozen at any point, this process may just speed up. You may also notice differences in texture and consistency, or separation of the ingredients in your mascara completely. It’s up to you to try it out and determine whether to toss it or continue using it!
Can Makeup Freeze in the Car?
One of the most common places for makeup products like foundation and mascara to freeze is in the car! If you’re in a rush and have to grab your makeup bag on your way out the door, it may freeze if you leave it in the car.
On the other hand, your makeup products can also experience extreme heat when left in the car for long periods of time. It’s important to remember your makeup bag if you do bring it to the car, and either take it inside with you wherever you go or to not leave it in your car for too long.
How to Store Makeup
This brings us to how you should store makeup. If you live in naturally freezing or hot climates, don’t panic. You can still take good care of your makeup products and get the most bang for your buck!
But, before we go over how to store makeup, let’s go over how not to store makeup!
Don’t store makeup in the bathroom. The heat and steam from your shower can expose your products to moisture and heat which can cause your products to separate, the water to evaporate, and your products to lose their value.
Don’t store makeup in the sun. This is mostly a no-brainer, but it’s worth going over. Even storing your makeup next to windows or in spots where the sun can reach can ruin them. It’s best to aim for a cool to lukewarm area for your makeup instead!
Don’t leave makeup in your car. Your car can get much hotter and much colder than the weather is outside. In other words, even if you don’t think it’s that hot, or that cold, the temperatures may be much more extreme in your car.
So, where should you store your makeup?
Aim for somewhere cool, dry, away from heat and moisture. Instead of keeping your beauty products in the bathroom or by the window, store them in your vanity table, dresser, or by your bedside table or shelf. You can also get a makeup box that will protect them from the elements and make for cute storage.
Conclusion
There’s nothing quite like finding a good foundation. It ties your whole makeup look together and can work wonders when it comes to concealing acne and smoothing out skin texture. However, if you aren’t sure how to store your makeup properly, it can freeze, overheat, and become ruined.
Luckily, storing your makeup the right way is easy with these tips and tricks!
