Study fills consumer knowledge gap: Cleaning beauty tools essential for skin health

26 Aug 2022 --- Despite the majority of consumers who clean their beautyblenders which are used to apply and blend makeup onto the skin – there are still some who might benefit from or require education on proper hygiene, efficient sanitation techniques and the reasons why reusable sponges are challenging to disinfect properly.

According to research from the Canada-based British Columbia Institute of Technology, keeping makeup tools in sanitary conditions is necessary to prevent pathogenic microbes from multiplying in unsanitary conditions and posing a health risk.

The study investigated cleaning practices for the beautyblender previously launched by the Beautyblender brand. The brand’s beautyblender is a pink reusable cosmetic sponge that can be used with several different cosmetic products such as foundations, beauty creams and concealers for application on the face.

The need to wash the makeup blenders
The research project aimed to determine how well beautyblenders are cleaned by the general public who enjoys using makeup by analyzing habits, the sanitization process and what consumers do in the interim to maintain cleanliness before disposing of their sponges.

Beautyblender recommends that customers wash their sponges after each use. According to the researchers, within one minute of washing, blender cleansers provide up to 24 hours of protection against 99.7% of harmful germs.

Blender cleansers are liquid solutions that claim to be highly effective yet gentle formulas suitable for daily use. They advise customers to dry their sponges in a clean, well-ventilated area and to replace them every three months.

Analyzing cleaning practices
The study involved a self-administered 18-question online survey to collect public data.

The findings unveil no correlation between age or education level and the cleanliness of beautyblenders.The survey was distributed via the social media platforms Facebook and Reddit. A link to the survey was posted in various Canadian or makeup-related Facebook groups and subreddits to target the respondents.

When participants were asked their age, 263 of the 303 respondents were 35 years old or younger (86.80%). Forty respondents (13.2%) were over the age of 36.

Regarding education, 241 respondents (79.54%) had a high school diploma or less. The findings showed no correlation between education levels and cleaning the beautyblender.

Hazardous to health
The researchers add that not cleaning the beauty blender sponges may encourage the sponge to harbor pathogenic microorganisms, resulting in disease or illness when consumed.

As it is made of water-absorbent foam material, it allows the sponge to absorb and hold more water than standard disposable sponges – an advantage consumers value due to smoother application.

With more people using the internet, YouTube and social media, reusable cosmetic sponges are becoming more popular for everyday use.

Previous studies and news articles highlight the dangers of using old or expired makeup, such as conjunctivitis, acne and skin infections. This brings to light that consumers may lack general awareness of hygiene regarding makeup applicators such as the beautyblender due to a reluctance to discard products, mainly if the product is expensive.

Edited by Nicole Kerr