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Top 5 Dorm Fridges at a Glance

• Best for skincare products: Beauty Spy Mini Fridge
• Best value: Magic Chef Mini Refrigerator
• Best for freezing: Costway Compact Refrigerator with Freezer
• Most stylish: Marshall Black Edition Bar Fridge
• Best for a dorm: Frigidaire Retro Mini Fridge with Freezer

There are nice-to-haves and need-to-haves, and a mini fridge for a dorm is definitely the latter. It should be an essential item on the list of every student starting college. But they're not just useful for students; imagine how convenient a mini fridge would be in your home office. No more interrupting workflow because the cold drinks and fresh snacks are in the kitchen.

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Here, we highlight some of the best mini fridges on the market — no matter if you’re looking for a place to store temperature-sensitive beauty products or if you need a dependable model for your dorm room.

Different Types of Mini Fridges

Anyone considering buying a mini fridge for their bedroom, dorm or home office needs to consider the different options on the market.

If space is an issue, a compact refrigerator is essential. Then, you have to think about the price. A cheap mini fridge might be within the budget, but it may not be worth it if you’re sacrificing quality. There’s also the question of freezing. There are plenty of mini fridges with freezers, but if you want to store lots of frozen meals, you’ll need to look at the capacity of the freezer. If the fridge is likely to be moved around, think about how heavy it is. Finally, does it look good? Style is subjective. Some people are happy with a basic box, while others want something that speaks for them. Are you looking for contemporary stainless steel or something colorful and retro?

There's also the question of safety. Although any consumer buying from a reputable company should feel assured that the product complies with the law, it's worth checking. The Food & Drug Administration recommends that fresh food should be stored below 40 degrees. For skincare products, NYC-based dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross recommends storing items between 55 and 62 degrees.

The Top 5 Dorm Fridges

Best for Skincare Products: Beauty Spy Mini Fridge

Although it's safe to store skincare products in the same dorm fridge as your snacks and drinks, for some people, it feels just plain wrong. Because there's fresh food in the fridge that needs to be stored below 40 degrees, you might have to reduce the temperature to a level too cold for your eye cream.

That's why getting a mini fridge specifically for skincare products is a good solution. The Beauty Spy Mini Fridge was designed to solve this problem. It cools between the ideal temperatures of 46 to 55 degrees, and it even warms to 130 degrees. It's portable, weighs only 4 pounds, and the dimensions are compact enough that it won't take up much room wherever it sits.

Cost: $69

Best Value: Magic Chef Mini Refrigerator

The Magic Chef 1.7-Cubic-Foot Mini Refrigerator is the best mini fridge for the price. That said, there are a few drawbacks. At 17.3 inches by 19.5 inches by 18.9 inches and weighing 33.7 pounds, it's not strictly portable. But it can be easily moved when necessary. Because of its small size, this fridge doesn’t come with a freezer.

Like a standard refrigerator, it has storage space in the door and a shelf, making it easier to organize foods and drinks. It uses a compressor system to ensure contents are evenly cooled, and it's even possible to switch the door to the other side to make it even more accessible.

Cost: Starting at $89

Best for Freezing: Costway Compact Refrigerator with Freezer

What could be better than a mini fridge that also freezes? The 3.3-Cubic-Foot Costway Compact Refrigerator’s freezer has a cubic-foot capacity and operates between -13 and -0.4 degrees. With a noise level of only 42 dB, it's unlikely to wake up your roommate. The refrigerator section has an impressive capacity of 2.23 cubic feet, two shelves for separating foodstuffs and a built-in vegetable crisper. The simple design also makes it easy to manually defrost.

Cost: $289.95

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Most Stylish: Marshall Black Edition Bar Fridge

This little fridge replicates the Marshall Stack, possibly the most iconic amp in rock music. But it isn't all looks. The Marshall Black Edition 3.2-Cubic-Foot Bar Fridge has three shelves and an inner door with two transparent and removable trays. The bottle tray is big enough to store drinks to satisfy any band. This small refrigerator is cool enough to dial the style of any room up to 11.

Cost: $399.99

Best for the Dorm: Frigidaire Retro Mini Fridge With Freezer

With the exception of storing skincare products (which can be stored at higher temperatures than fresh food), the Frigidaire Retro 3.2 Cubic Feet Freestanding Mini Fridge ticks every box. Its retro style will improve the look of any room. It can freeze and refrigerate, and since it's Energy Star-rated, you can also be sure it won’t gorge on electricity. All around, this is the top pick for a dorm fridge.

Cost: $328.56

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Reasons to Get a Mini Fridge for a Dorm

A compact refrigerator is an affordable and convenient solution for any student who wants to buy their own fresh food and always have it on hand. No more accepting what's available in the dining hall; students can shop around for the best prices and make their own simple meals.

Health-conscious students who want organic products that are otherwise unavailable on campus and those with allergies who need more control over what they buy will find a cheap mini fridge solves their problem. For a reasonable expense, you will be able to exercise better control over your food and drink choices.

A microwave and small refrigerator provide the two essential components to rustle up any number of dorm room recipes.  Plus, it can be a long trek to the cafeteria, dining hall or campus store. What could be better when you’re pulling an all-nighter than reaching out, opening the dorm fridge and grabbing your favorite drink?