How to properly clean bacteria from your makeup, according to a makeup artist

As Hong Kong people who have experienced SARS, we have "a lot of ideas" on how to properly hand wash, disinfect and sanitise items during an outbreak of COVID-19. But how about the beauty products we use at home everyday? Are they harbouring germs or we’re just being paranoid here?

Well, According to a study last year by the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University in the UK from 2019, most cosmetics and appliances of our everyday life contain germs, such as stacoccus and E. col. The study was conducted on ithey tested 467 cosmetic samples, including lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras, make-up brushes and make-up bags.Meaning, it might just be time for your beauty stash spring clean!.

That being said, since COVID-19 only just outbroke this year, there is currently no study on how long the virus can survive amongst our cosmetics. But, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health, COVID-19 can survive 72 hours on plastic materials. But before you go discarding or frantically dousing your beloved highlighters in antiseptic - there is a right way and wrong way to disinfect and clean your tools. Do you want to know more? Check all the secret tips from our favourite makeup artists below.

（１）勤洗化妝掃＋美妝蛋

First tip comes from the renowned make-up artist Daniel Martin. He claims he cleans his make-up products at least twice a week.For a quick fix, he’ll also sometimes use a cosmetic-specific dry cleaning spray to quickly disinfect products with a single spritz.

(2) Spray your brush

Though dry cleaning sprays remove surface grime and residual makeup, they do fail to remove bacteria, which is why Daniel says he sprays the surface of all his makeup products with disinfectant every day. This includes foundation lids, lipsticks, eyeliners, eye shadow palettes, and more, all of which are cleaned regularly and thoroughly to avoid accidental bacteria being brought close to the eyes or skin.

(3) Do not makeup outside

Though these quick tips are easy enough for everyone to replicate at home, we do stress that since it’s proven the virus can survive up to 3 days on metal, glass and plastic, you should avoid applying your makeup outside of your home during this period. Quick toilet touch-ups especially are out of the question during this time. So, stay safe, wash your hands, but especially, don’t forget about your makeup too.