Are high quality cosmetic ingredients a thing? #203

In this study publish in the October issue of the Journal of Applied Microbiology, researchers wanted to investigate the nature and extent of microbial contamination in five categories of used cosmetic products (lipstick, lip gloss, eyeliners, mascaras and beauty blenders) and highlight the potential risk posed to consumers in the UK. The got samples of used products donated by consumers and analyzed them for the microbial contents.  This was done by taking a sample, plating them on microbial culture plates and then letting them grow.  Surprisingly, they found that anywhere from 79–90% of all used products were contaminated with bacteria, with bacterial loads ranging between 102 and 103 CFU per ml, beauty blenders contained an average load of >106 CFU per ml. Presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Citrobacter freundii were detected. Fungi were also detected in all product types, and were prevalent in beauty blenders (26·58 and 56·96% respectively). Ninety‐three per cent of beauty blenders had not been cleaned and 64% had been dropped on the floor and continued to be used. The researchers concluded that significant levels of microbial contamination occur during use of cosmetic products and presence of pathogenic organisms pose a potential risk to health. Now, I suppose most of these products passed microbial challenge tests or were not tested because the manufacturer has the mistaken notion that products that don’t contain water d...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Podcast Source Type: blogs