How to Organize Skincare Products

For many of us, skincare products are one of those things we love to buy but never really seem to use up, resulting in more and more clutter that makes it hard to see what products we even have in the first place. So if your medicine cabinet is a jumbled mess of skincare and clean beauty products, this guide is for you! 

We walk you through how to declutter, organize, and store all your skincare routine products for total efficiency, zero leakage (hint: our patented Pinch-Loc® seal may have something to do with it…), and to avoid generating unnecessary plastic waste.

Where to Store Skincare Products?

Before we get into the thick of it, let’s start by assessing where you usually do your skincare routine: in the bathroom, your bedroom, or some other place. For the sake of convenience, it’s best to store your products as close as possible to that place, making them easy to reach for and put away. (If you’re anything like us, the more time-consuming or difficult it is to put something away, the more likely it will just take up permanent residence on the floor or counter.)

To keep your products fresh and long-lasting, it’s best to store them at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. So if you know the midday sun shines right onto your bathroom countertop every afternoon, consider nixing that spot and using a medicine cabinet, drawer, or under the bathroom sink instead. 

What about humidity, you ask? Bathrooms with showers or baths do have a lot more humidity than other places in the home, and that humidity can lead to moisture making its way into any product without an airtight lid. If this is a concern for you, find a spot somewhere else for your products (like a drawer in your closet or a basket in your bedroom).

But if you always do your skincare routine in the bathroom and really want to keep your products there, the key is to use storage containers that keep humidity out of your skincare goodies. The beauty of Stasher bags and bowls is that they’re totally leak-free — and because nothing can leak out, the Pinch-Loc® seal also prevents humidity from causing moisture to make its way inside your skincare products.

Organizing Skincare by Product Type

This brings us to the actual organizing part. With a clearer idea of where you want to store your products — somewhere that’s convenient for you and safe for your products — you can now assess all the products you have. 

Our go-to method is to spread out an old towel on the counter or floor and then lay out all of your products. Go through them one by one, and wipe those bottles that are dirty or leaking with an all-purpose cleanser. Check the expiration dates as well. Now’s a good time to (ideally) recycle or toss anything that’s expired, or any duplicates or products that aren’t safe to give to a friend (i.e., bar soaps and anything that comes in a jar, which could be contaminated with bacteria).

Now that you’re left with the products you enjoy using, sort them into piles by type: face moisturizers in one pile, body lotions in another, and so on. Alternatively, you can also sort your products by how frequently you use them, or which time of day you use them. For instance, one pile might be everything you use daily in your night routine, while another pile might be those less frequently used special products like fancy serums and face masks — whatever works for you!

Regardless of how you’ve decided to sort your products, the next step is to tuck them away by category into acrylic drawers, waterproof makeup bags, or Stasher bags. This might mean you have your serums in a 2-Cup Bowl, large toners and cleansers in a Stand-Up Mega Bag, sheet masks tucked away in a Quart Bag, and so on. For an extra organizational boost, consider color-coding your Stasher bags by product type or frequency of use (e.g., frequently used products are in green bags while less frequently used products are in blue bags, or all face creams are in purple bags).

Whatever storage method you choose, just make sure the container is liquid-proof and washable so that it can be wiped down with a soapy rag or go in the washing machine or dishwasher. That way, if you forget to put the cap on your face toner or your eye cream explodes, the mess is quick and painless to clean up. (Being able to just pop our bags and bowls in the dishwasher is part of why people love Stasher so much, and we can’t blame them!)

How to Arrange Skincare Products Practically

If you haven’t already considered how frequently you use each product in your collection, now’s the time to do so. To make things easy for yourself (which is what organization is all about!), aim to have your most-used products in extra close reach. 

If you’re using drawer organizers with dividers, for instance, you could put your normal rotation of products near the front of the drawer, with less frequently used products sectioned off near the back. Or if you use a skincare fridge, be sure to pop your favorite products right at the front so you don’t have to dig for them and knock things over in the process. Using reusable bags? Clear Stasher bags let you see your skincare products inside so that you’re always reaching for exactly what you need. You can even combine methods to keep things ultra-tidy, organizing your products into Stasher bags by type and then organizing those bags into bins or baskets by how often you’ll reach for them.

The key with any kind of organizing is to find a method that fits effortlessly into your normal rhythms and lifestyle. This is true for both skincare and makeup organization. You may have to get creative, but once you find the organization method that works for you, you can look forward to a tidier bathroom, a seamless skincare routine, and the satisfaction of having everything in its place.