How to Organize Your Skin Care Products

Take a scroll through your social media feeds, and you’ll quickly realize that shelfies—yes, that would be photos of perfectly-organized shelves—are now a thing. Known for their all-around chic aesthetic, these pictures have gained serious popularity on Instagram for the way they look. But these photos aren’t just pretty—they’re also a source of practical inspiration for organizing everything from clothes to books to—you guessed it—skin care products. If you’re not quite sure how to organize your skin care products to maximize whatever space you’re working with, we’ve got plenty of ideas to help. Whether you store your skin care products in your medicine cabinet, linen closet, or somewhere else, we’ve got skin care organization tips for stocking your shelves and keeping everything from your moisturizer to your masks in order. Soon enough you’ll be ready to take your very own skin care product shelfie! 

HOW TO ORGANIZE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS IN YOUR MEDICINE CABINET

If your bathroom features a medicine cabinet, one that doesn’t need to hold much medicine, you’re already well on your way to creating an amazing skin care shelfie. Those shelves are the perfect place to stow products, especially if you tend to get ready in the bathroom. Below, we’re breaking down how to organize your products, shelf by shelf. 

STEP #1: ORGANIZE YOUR TOP SHELF

Most times, the top shelf of a medicine cabinet or closet is a slight reach. For that reason, place the products you use less frequently there on the top shelf.

When organizing this shelf from left to right, don’t worry about any particular order because these are not necessarily skin care products you’ll layer into your routine all at once. Instead, try arranging your products by brand—they’ll be extra photogenic that way.

STEP #2: ORGANIZE YOUR MIDDLE SHELF

Reserve this shelf for all the products that you use multiple times a week—but still not daily. A good example would be face masks. Since you’re not using the skin care products on this shelf daily, you can arrange them in any order you’d like. We’re partial to putting them in ROYGBIV order. 

Editor’s note: Since you have multiple masks on hand, it’s a good idea to learn about multi-masking! Check out our article, How to Multi-Mask.

STEP #3: ORGANIZE YOUR BOTTOM SHELF

At last, we’ve reached the shelf that matters the most—in terms of your everyday skin care routine, that is. There are certain types of skin care products—such as cleanser and moisturizer—that you should be using daily, which is why a well-organized shelf where everything is laid out from left to right can be extremely helpful. We understand that you may also have more than one facial moisturizer or cleanser. In our opinion, it’s easiest and most convenient to group products together by their function. That way, whenever you need a cleanser, you can easily reach for the cluster of facial cleansers and have your pick, rather than scouring all over the place to find a specific one. Whether you take our organization tips or not, these are the skin care products that should be included—along with product recommendations for each.

Facial cleanser: L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Scrub Cleanser, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Exfoliate & Refine Cleanser, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Cleanser, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Purify & Mattify Cleanser

Micellar water: L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser - Normal to Dry Skin, L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser - Normal to Oily Skin, L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof - All Skin Types

Toner: L’Oréal Paris HydraFresh Toner

Serum: L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Serum, L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Golden Serum, L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum

Eye cream: L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Manuka Honey Eye Gel, L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Eye Treatment

Facial moisturizer: L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Manuka Honey Day Cream, L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care - Normal/Oily Skin, L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care - Normal/Dry Skin, L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care - Extra Dry Skin

Facial moisturizer with SPF: L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Day Lotion SPF 30

Night cream: L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Manuka Honey Night Balm, L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Night Cream

Face mask: L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Clarify & Smooth Face Mask, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Clear & Comfort Face Mask, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Face Mask, L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Exfoliate & Refining Face Mask

7 OTHER WAYS TO ORGANIZE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

So, you don’t have a medicine cabinet, or you simply prefer to go through your skin care routine at your vanity. No matter what you’re working with, there’s a way to organize your products—and keep things picture-worthy. Here are seven different skin care organizer options:

1. USE A CLEAR ORGANIZER

Those clear desktop organizers you always see people using to sort their makeup products? You can actually use them for your skin care products, too! The organizers are perfectly set up with sections varying in size to fit all your must-haves, as well as application tools such as cotton swabs and pads.

2. USE DRAWER ORGANIZERS

So, you only have a single drawer to spare for your products. We can work with that! In order to avoid your skin care drawer turning into a junk drawer, you’ll just want to make sure you use drawer organizers or dividers to keep things orderly. Separate out your products by type, placing them in different containers or compartments in your drawer.

3. REPURPOSE CANDLE JARS

For your tall products (such as tube-shaped eye cream or lip balm), save your used candle jars! They’re typically the perfect size, and they look super chic once they’re all cleaned out. Simply scrape out that last bit of wax, wipe things down, then put your products inside!

Editor's tip: If you aren’t a big candle fan, you can also give new life to an old coffee mug or mason jar. Get creative!

4. FILL VASES

For your brushes and skin care tools, vases will be the perfect receptacle. Grab one that’s short and wide, then fill the bottom with coffee beans (marbles also work) to keep everything upright.

5. DIG OUT AN OLD SHOEBOX

For your moisturizers and cleansers, dress up an old shoebox! And no, we won’t blame you if you use this as an excuse to make a beeline for the shoe department. 

6. GET A MINI BEAUTY FRIDGE

Some of your skin care products may be best kept in a mini skin care fridge. Find one that will look especially cute on your vanity and stock it with a jade roller, eye creams, and sheet masks.

7. HANG A SHELF

Just because you don’t have a medicine cabinet doesn’t mean you have to forgo a shelfie altogether. Why not get handy and hang a shelf or two above your vanity or next to your bathroom mirror?

If you enjoyed learning how to organize your skin care products, do the same with all your cosmetics by reading our article, How to Organize your Makeup Bag Like a Pro.