The word 'make-up' is something that most women can easily relate to. Be it parties or normal outing, women tend to use make-up almost every day. But do they check the expiry date of the make-up or even wash the blenders and the brushes that they use every day?
If the answer is no, then it's high time you should reconsider about using those old, used make-up products before you end up inviting infectious bacteria on your skin.
Beauty blenders and sponges
A recent study from Aston University in the US, which was published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, has revealed that most of the make-up products, including mascara, beauty blenders and lip gloss, are all contaminated with life-threatening superbugs.
"Make-up products used every day by millions of people in the UK are contaminated with potentially deadly bugs, such as E.coli and Staphylococci because most are not being cleaned and are used far beyond their expiry dates," said Amreen Bashir, the lead author of the study.
The research stated that such bacteria can cause damage to the skin by developing infections. It has also warned that if such products are used near sensitive areas such as eyes, mouth or cuts it can cause blood poisoning or grazes can be found in nine out of ten of the products.
In the case of immunocompromised people, who are more likely to develop contract infections from opportunistic bacteria, the risk of such infection is amplified.
93 percent people don't wash blenders
According to the research, the highest levels of potentially harmful bacteria were found in the beauty blenders which were relatively new. The study shows that a vast majority of 93 percent people have admitted that they have never washed their blender and 64 percent said that they had dropped the product on the floor but still continued to use it.
The scientists have found that such products are more likely to get contaminated as people often leave these blenders damp after using it. Such instances create an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria.
Poor hygiene practices
"Consumers' poor hygiene practices when it comes to using make-up, especially beauty blenders, is very worrying when you consider that we found bacteria such as E.coli - which is linked with faecal contamination - breeding on the products we tested," Bashir said.
In this way, women are putting themselves at risk without even knowing the consequences of such usage. The researchers believe that the regulatory bodies and the manufacturers of such products should write the expiry dates and cleaning requirements more prominently on the packaging to create awareness among the consumers.
Bashir added: "More needs to be done to help educate consumers and the make-up industry as a whole about the need to wash beauty blenders regularly and dry them thoroughly, as well as the risks of using make-up beyond its expiry date."
