I can’t believe its November because the weather in Northern California has been so warm! But, I am counting the days until Black Friday and the great local shopping. The flu season is also on my mind from a recent shot. I got my flu shot on my Dr’s order for protection and it made me think of protection when shopping for makeup on a busy Black Friday. Makeup is such a great and easy gift, but when shopping with all those mirrors, I always end up questioning what I am wearing to my lip gloss or eye shadow of the day. So, yes, I do mean shopping for ourselves as much as for loved ones on this great day of sales. Now back to protection: There is a very popular east coast study showing how illness can come from trying makeup samples or getting a make-over at a high end department store. The results were at first shocking but then much more understandable when looking further into it. Ready?
Up to 100% of sample counter products, even from high end department stores, were tainted on a busy day similar to a weekend or the extremely popular Black Friday. Staph was expected, but fungus, mold, other bacteria, and even E. Coli, which comes from fecal contamination, were found. The E. Coli is very difficult to stomach for me but can easily happen when poor hygiene and a finger dip are combined. These products can lead to a multitude of problems including acne, colds to serious health problems like staph or strep infections, herpes, and pink eye. I feel a little like Ben Stiller in “Along Came Polly”, but I truly care and want to help with solutions and lack of illness in the name of beauty. The makeup counter you are at may look fancy but it could be the reason you got sick and not just on a busy day. Please take care as even slow days have almost a 50% chance of products being contaminated.
How is this possible? They found that although many counter assistants work as they were taught by spraying products and brushes with alcohol between customers there is no stopping or knowing whether someone has done their own dirty testing, especially during busy days. As well, a pressed product requires removing top layers that may be tainted and also dipping only once with each brush or applicator used for keeping sanitation. I also just recently read that counter assistants are not to apply makeup on those with a skin condition. How could they be trained in a skin condition such as herpes or staph which can be present before showing any symptoms? In fact, a simple looking blemish can easily be confused with community MRSA (a form of staph that is very antibiotic resistant)? With respect to this, can you imagine being turned away from a makeup counter in public for having a blemish? In all my days of being at department store cosmetic booths, I have never seen anyone turned down for a make-over.
And very sorry to make it worse, but on top of dirty finger problems, many of the samples such as shadows and powders are open to air all day (and night?) rather than being stored properly which cause a decrease in the efficacy of the preservatives used. This also causes a reduction in protection from contamination. I am also not a fan of harsh preservatives as many of them are very toxic but in this case it is a no win situation. Which is worse?
Counter assistants are not required to be a cosmetologist, esthetician or have any type of board certification; all of these board certified specialists go through countless hours of sanitary training.
What can I as a Doctor of Chemistry, recommend? Use caution. Infections such as staph, E. Coli poisoning and herpes are not a joke. With openings like your mouth, eyes and nose, tainted makeup can be particularly dangerous. Do you remember Ben Stiller preaching about peanuts at your local watering hole being filled with danger from those who don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom? Well, I think of makeup samples as your tainted peanuts. But, there is healthy ways to try makeup before purchasing. Here are some tips:
- Look for smaller venues such as salons/spas where many even keep sample kits behind locked doors.
- If you prefer mall products, test them on paper and hold up to your skin.
- Look for trained specialists as in salons/spas that have been through countless hours of sanitation. Ask them questions about their policies and if the makeup has ever touched someone else. If product has touched someone else, do not feel bad to say no. This is more than vanity.
- Loose products that are dispensed on sanitary surfaces are a great way to test samples. Loose products are easily used sanitarily. If the top is used, make sure excess product does not go back in the container, and that the top is sanitized before and after your use.
- Pressed products are more difficult but can work. The top should be scraped in front of you and also sprayed with alcohol. They should only be touched once so for sanitation and getting enough makeup for your face, for example, usually requires them scraping onto something sanitary to use.
- Ask how the brush was cleaned. Brushes need more than a spray with alcohol. They should also be washed with soap and water and dried before each use.
- Go for disposable when in doubt. They might not work as good as real brushes, but it is better than waking up the day after your wedding makeup with a herpes outbreak….eeek.
- Look for how the products are stored. Are they uncovered to show the colors? If so, ask for a new sample.
With the stilettos I walk in it feels strange to say, but, there is certainly a price to beauty. And once you get your makeup home, it is up to you to keep the sanitation which has rules as well. Have a great and healthy Black Friday and Thanksgiving.
Dr. Berrettini
The Cochineal beetles grow on cactus plants or are attached to cactus plants by baskets filled with the females. Only the females are used in the production or slaughter for the pigment. In fact, most literature says only the pregnant females are harvested due to the most amount of red carminic acid for making pigments and the eggs are used as well. The male beetle doesn’t live long after mating and are not used. The pregnant females are first inhumanely collected by being brushed or knocked off the cacti. This is followed by killing them through immersion in hot water with sun drying, or by being baked directly in the sun. The pigment is then crushed, dissolved in a solvent and filtered. For this process, it takes ~70,000 female insects to produce just one pound of cochineal. The population of insects required for the annual consumption amounts to six times the world’s human population.
This cruelty is not needed as there are many cruelty-free substitutes such as iron oxide minerals and plant based pigments such as red grapes. In cosmetics, ingredient lists are required and should be available online and in their literature although many do not follow this. Since January 2011 food products are now required to say if they contain Carmine as well. 
