Do you ever think that because your face is clean when you apply the makeup, that means you don’t need to clean the brushes that you use? Wouldn’t that be the same rules that apply to bath towels, you’re clean when you use them, but we still wash them. Makeup brushes, just like bath towels and everything else carry lots of bacteria and often need to be cleaned and disinfected after every couple of uses. 

compare the market

Studies have shown that your everyday makeup brushes have immense amounts of bacteria that they carry, in fact, foundation brushes have been studied to be 545% dirtier than a toilet seat. If this doesn’t seem alarming, then I don’t know what is. 

The conductors over at compare the market have taken many tests on all kinds of beauty applicators like foundation brushes, eyeshadow brushes, beauty blenders and sponges to determine if your everyday utensils are clean or not. 

To determine such cleanliness, compare the market took multiple tests on many different everyday products, including toilets, kitchen bins, house keys, eye buds and much more. All these products are used daily and almost never cleaned, which makes its test against beauty products valid. 

As each item is swabbed multiple times and each from different places which allows a greater and more accurate depiction of the test results. To conduct these results compare the market uses RLU, relative light units. Make-up brushes read with a total of 5,587 units while toilets seats read it at 866 units. 

compare the market

In the opinion of experts, dirty makeup brushes can cause issues, especially brushes with extended amounts of bacteria and grime build-up that haven’t been cleaned. If left unwashed, or sanitized these everyday utensils can mean that you are applying bacteria and grime to your skin, causing acne, irritation and infections, which all lead to pre-mature ageing and of course unequal coverage of makeup. 

Cleaning your brushes should be done the same amount as a weekly bath towel or even bed sheets. As we think and believe that being clean keeps things clean, it isn’t the case. Using a brush cleanser will not only keep your brushes clean but will keep you healthy, and make your makeup look more flawless. 

Published by HOLR Magazine