So, you need a quick makeup while you are out and decide to try a neat trick, one of your friends told you about. You go into a big cosmetics store and the on the pretext of ‘try before you buy’ you use blush, lip-gloss and eye shadow to give yourself the touch-up you wanted. And then you walk out of the store feeling happy to have put on expensive makeup without having spent a dime. But do you know what you may have also walked out with? You may have no idea but you may easily start carrying the herpes virus by using makeup testers at malls and cosmetic shops!
A recent scientific study reveals that the levels of contamination of most tester kits are really high. This is no surprise really because these testers are used by several women during the day. The logic behind this should be same as why you do not share your make up with anyone. If you borrow lipstick from someone who has a viral infection you may get the same infection before you know it!
During the course of this study, researchers visited the most frequented malls, stores and drugstores to find out the level of hygiene being practiced in the various makeup counters. They found staph, strep and E. coli bacteria in addition to the herpes virus. And most shockingly, on Saturdays, i.e. when the makeup counters are most crowded, the rate of contamination was 100% for tester kits. This means that every make up tester, the researchers studied, was contaminated in some way or the other!
This gives you an outline of the extent of the problem. Thousands of women with unclean hands use the testers and leave, having passed on virus and bacteria that can harm those who use them next. There are very few people who bother about hygiene the way it should be, and even retail stores do not enforce hygiene at counters where they are selling products meant to come in contact with skin, eyes, lips etc. This is the harsh reality that has always been facing you and now thanks to this study you are aware of it.
Even the FDA concur that makeup, and particularly tester kits should be handled with real caution. So, this brings you to the question: is there no way to combat the threat of infections such as herpes, except for stopping the use of makeup testers?
Well, there is and all it takes is a bit of caution and prudence from you and proper education and assistance from the salespeople. Using disposable brushes and pads is the best way to sample makeup. Try to avoid sampling lotions or creams which require you to touch them with fingers and not squeeze out of a bottle. Use disposable applicators to try lipstick but save yourself from the herpes virus at the same time. The bigger cosmetic brands have also got single-use tester packs for foundation, eye shadow etc. and they can come in handy while ensuring hygiene.
So, most definitely, you do not need to stop using makeup testers altogether. There is always a way to use them safely. If you want to prevent the occurrence of herpes, you must!
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