These Are The Beauty Products You Should Never Share With Anyone

Listen up: it’s time to stop sharing your makeup with other people. Not that you should start being selfish, but you are also risking your own health while you’re at it—especially with the threat and worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 these days.

While it may seem harmless at the time, trading makeup can lead to very serious conditions such as pink eye, herpes, and even cause diseases to spread or transfer. It’s also possible to have a negative reaction to another person’s unique set of germs. “We all have bacteria and fungi living on our skin as part of our normal flora,” said dermatologist Joshua Zeichner to Safebee. “But one person’s normal flora is different from another’s. The microorganisms that sit on a friends’s skin without causing problems for her potentially could cause problems for you.”

In order to keep you makeup tools and products safe for your own, you should sanitize them regularly and toss or replace them as needed. But another way to moderate the spread of germs and bacteria is to ensure you’re the only one using them. “By sharing what’s in your makeup bag or medicine cabinet, you may make yourself vulnerable to illnesses that are tough to treat,” Zeichner added. 

To help you out, below, we broke down some products you should steer clear of sharing to keep you healthy, but also looking your best.

Mascara

Borrowing someone’s used mascara is definitely not worth getting pink eye over. Eyes are more vulnerable to bacterial infections than skin, and that mascara wand isn’t any less laden with them than other tools. The same goes for eyeliner, eyeshadow, and eyeshadow brushes. 

Makeup Brushes

Makeup brushes need a regular bath too! The potential germs and bacteria on one person’s face and makeup brushes are easily transferred to another’s skin, which could cause or worsen acne, along with other potential bacterial issues. That's why it's very important to clean your brushes every once in a while for the cleanest beauty possible. Getting your makeup professionally done? Make sure your makeup artist sanitizes his or her brushes well. Iffy about it? We say invest in your own and bring them to your pro makeup session.

Lipstick and Lip Balm

Never use someone else’s lipstick, lip balm or lip gloss. Germs and bacteria commonly thrive on these products because you constantly put them on your lips (which most likely have traces of saliva). This is especially true for glosses in a tube, which is in a closed, moist environment that’s especially friendly to the nasties. Toss these products if you haven't been using them in a long time too!

Products in Jars and Pots

Don’t use anything that someone else has dipped his or her fingers in. This includes concealers, moisturizers and cream blushes. Fingers are a veritable petri of dish of germs, some of which linger even after washing. To avoid this, don’t contaminate your own pot-based products with germs, use a plastic scoop or wand to dip into them and wash it after.