Why I prefer picking products from the last row

organic skincare product display

Over the weekend, I was at Parkway Parade and when I stepped into one of the pharmacies, I noticed that their organic skin care products were were placed on brightly lighted display stands. And when I picked up a few of the products at the front rows, they felt very warm. The white lights must have “heated” them up!

What happened to cool, dark and dry?
These are organic skin care products, which means, they likely do not contain the usual chemical preservatives and hence, are more vulnerable to spoilage if they’re not stored properly. As it is, we are already instructed to store our normal skin care products containing chemical synthetic preservatives in cool, dark and dry places so what’s more when it comes to organic products? Shouldn’t the retailers know better than to expose such products to heat? And it wasn’t just the testers alone that were exposed to the light and heat, but the new stocks as well because the entire display stand was all lights.

Spotlights can affect product efficacy
I recalled that Grace of Geranium was concerned that the quality of her products might be compromised with the spotlights used at her mobile cart and preferred to store the ones for purchase in the cupboards. Hence, my concerns are definitely not unfounded. In fact, I have also been slightly worried about purchasing organic products online since I can’t tell for sure how the products have been handled and if they have been exposed to any form of heat.

product display stand


Organic skin care products should be stored out of direct heat

But coming back to the pharmacy selling the organic products. They, or the distributor of the organic skin care range should be more aware that these products should be placed away from direct heat. In fact, this is why many organic skin care products are stored in dark packaging in order to preserve their product integrity.   While I understand that brighter display stands are more enticing, but the integrity of the products shouldn’t be compromised because of that.

Retailers ought to be more responsible with product display
Well, I hope retailers selling organic or natural skin care be more responsible when it comes to handling such products. It is one thing to bring attention to the products through brightly lit display stands, but another to ensure that customers get the best out of the product. And we should get the best, considering that this category of skin care product usually cost more than usual!  That’s why I prefer picking that product from the end of the row, where it’s farther away from the bright display lights and also away from any contamination due to some itchy fingers.

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Comments

  1. Amanda says:

    Very interesting article! I have not given much thought to how the products are affected by its display, despite knowing how to store them.

    I do agree that the retailers should be more responsible in displaying Organic/Natural products.

    I wonder if the product will be okay in a box despite being displayed under lights?

  2. Jo says:

    i wonder the same too, what if the product is in a box? if it’s not “heated up” then it should be fine? I assume…

  3. Sherry says:

    wow.. I never think of that before, now I must choose the last row instead the front.

  4. sesame says:

    If it’s in a box, and there is some depth within as in some cushion between the box base and the product, then it should help. As long as the product doesn’t feel warm, it should be okay.

  5. sesame says:

    Yup, I assume so too. As long as the box doesn’t feel warm…

  6. sesame says:

    It really depends as not all retailers use bright lights for their displays. Even then, I usually choose those inside…

  7. Jyoan says:

    I think your point is a very good one! But I normally pick products from middle to last rows out of habit, that nobody has touched it before, and the item will be nicer. hahahaha. Not because I notice the bright lights.

  8. Leon says:

    Hey Sesame,

    I do the same, I always pick the product which is not exposed to light.

  9. coco says:

    i avoid picking products under the light or feel warm when i touch it too! i didn’t think about whether the product is organic or not. but weren’t we educated to keep products cool and dry to last longer? whey retailers don’t notice that?!

  10. eliza says:

    LOL mom always say to buying skincare products is like buying vegetables~!

    but some makeup like the gel eyeliner are always placed near the light =[. I didn’t buy because the heat from the light will evaporate the moisture ==”.

    i wasted like around 2-3 gel eyeliners within 5 months due to this and i didn’t know until my mom told me =[.

  11. Blovet Beauty says:

    i totally agree… They must not have known when they designed the layout of the stands but now that u mentioned it, i will most likely start to take bottles from the bacK!

  12. flym says:

    This reminds me of the time I was in Watson’s and picked up a jar of organic foot cream. Almost tempted to buy. The packaging were not sealed in plastic wraps so I could open the jars. Some of them were green and mouldy inside! Yucks!! Gross!

  13. AtelierGal says:

    TBH, most retailers don’t really care how the products are placed. Guardians are the worst! Just look at how they treat NXY at Paragon >.<

  14. sesame says:

    I think their objective is to draw customers to their products…or maybe the staff were not educated.

  15. sesame says:

    I thought makeup might fare better but maybe not huh…

  16. sesame says:

    I think they only think about drawing customers in, don’t think they even consider the product quality.

  17. sesame says:

    Oh geez…that’s so bad!

  18. sesame says:

    Hurhur…that was the store I visited!

  19. pf1123 says:

    Yes, very true for skincare!

    In fact, this applies to shoes too. Sometimes the shelves which shoes are placed on are lighted, warm and toasty and nice to wear. But when the sales girl help you get a new pair from the back…the new ones aren’t as nice anymore.

  20. AtelierGal says:

    Guardian Suntec is slightly better, though the es aren’t in mint condition, and so are most of the lipsticks!

  21. sesame says:

    That’s interesting! I don’t think I noticed that about shoes.

  22. Dee says:

    I sometimes avoid this too, I always go to the back or last row. This is a real nice article Sesame.

  23. sesame says:

    I also prefer those in boxes than just plain bottles.

  24. sesame says:

    It’s a habit for me too and it doesn’t just apply to skin care products. Food too. ?

  25. sesame says:

    Thanks Dee! ?

  26. sesame says:

    I quite like the Suntec outlet. That’s the one with most organic products and they don’t see all those lightings on their shelves.

  27. ann says:

    Thanks for the tip!

  28. miyo says:

    hi sesame,,

    i am so glad that i found someone like me as well . . similar habits ..
    thank god.. my friends n bf teased me if i do reached for products placed back row. ?
    maybe my mentally is back row products tend to be more fresh ?! lolx

    ?

  29. sesame says:

    Haha…great minds think alike! ?

  30. sesame says:

    You’re welcome! ?

  31. Patti says:

    This is such a true but sad reality. Many people would not even think about this. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  32. nora says:

    I thought I’m the weird & choosy one to get almost everything from the back rows. I do have many friends like me. I’m very careful on things that I want to buy especially food items & products for my skin.

  33. sesame says:

    No, not weird at all. We can form a back row club! ?

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