It is a common sight to see make-up testers lined up beautifully in cosmetic shops and sections. But did you know, they are the perfect place for contagious viruses?
Make-up testers are used by ample women whilst buying cosmetics and using the same lipstick as other people can mean picking up tiny droplets of their saliva which carry the herpes virus. Meanwhile, mascara wands or eyeliner, whether tried out as testers on make-up stands or shared between friends, may lead to a nasty case of ‘pink-eye’.
Other risks from shared make-up include salmonella and E.coli as well as skin flare-ups from bacteria on other people’s faces.
Dr. Amreen Bashir, a microbiologist from Aston University in Birmingham has that there is a real risk of catching bacterial infections and herpes, as we all have different organisms living on us and one cosmetic tester can be used by 30 or 40 different people, which spreads the risk of infection.
Recently, a woman in the US sued a cosmetic company claiming she picked up the herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores and is carried by more than two-thirds of the population. When asked Dr. Bashir, she confirmed the possibility as positive and wrote in an article for the website The Conversation.
A study of 67 cosmetics last year found three-quarters contained the staphylococcus bug. While this can live harmlessly on the skin, shared make-up could transmit a less friendly version – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the deadly superbug MRSA.
Also, make-up brushes should not be shared because they gather bacteria including Staph aureus, E.coli, and streptococcus.
So point to remember, stay away from sharing make-up products especially trying testers in cosmetic stores.
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