New study reveals your beauty blender could kill you

Not only that, research finds life-threatening bugs in most daily makeup products

The vast majority of make-up products, especially beauty blenders, mascaras and lip glosses, are contaminated with potentially life threatening superbugs, researchers have warned.

"Make-up products used every day by millions of people 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 study lead author Amreen Bashir from Aston University.

According to the study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, bacteria that can cause illnesses ranging from skin infections to blood poisoning if used near eyes, mouth or cuts or grazes were found in nine out of ten of the products, reported Gulf News.

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This risk is amplified in immunocompromised people who are more likely to contract infections from opportunistic bacteria.
The relatively new beauty blenders were found to have the highest levels of potentially harmful bacteria - with 93% not having ever been cleaned, despite more than 64% being dropped on the floor at some point during use.

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Often endorsed by celebrities, these sponges are estimated to have sold over 6.5 million worldwide. The researchers found the products are particularly susceptible to contamination as they are often left damp after use, which creates an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

PHOTO: FILE

"Consumers' poor hygiene practices when it comes to using make-up, especially beauty blenders, is very worrying when you consider we found E.coli - which is linked with faecal contamination - breeding on the products we tested," Bashir said.

The findings reveal that consumers are unwittingly putting themselves at risk, and that manufacturers and regulatory bodies should do more to protect their customers by making expiry dates and cleaning requirements more prominent on packaging.

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