Blog #11

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/04/23/store-makeup-testers-often-contaminated-with-herpes-e-coli/








What if you got E. coli from a cosmetic sample? A recent study that was conducted by Elizabeth Brooks, a M.D. and biological sciences professor at Jefferson Medical College, shows how just how contaminated free testers are at different stores. The test results were positive for E. coli bacteria, conjunctivitis, herpes, staph, and strep. "Wherever you see E. coli, you should just think 'E. coli equals feces,' " Brooks told the newspaper. How gross! The results were shown 100 percent of the time. The tests were conducted on busy days like Friday and Saturdays. How are these viruses and bacteria spread? Some people apply these testers and samples directly to the skin. For example, somebody sticking their finger in an eye shadow tester and applying the makeup directly to the eyelid. The article uses the example of lipstick being applied directly to the lips. If a consumer comes to test some lipstick and uses a cotton swab to apply the lipstick, she can still contaminate herself because she is unaware of whether or not the person before her applied the lipstick directly to their lips. I have had a personal experience at a makeup counter where a salesperson has put her finger directly into a tester and applied the product to my face with her finger. I thought that was nasty and unsanitary on her part. The article discusses other options for women at the makeup counter. One option is to wipe off the top of a sample with a cloth dipped in alcohol, but it also states that the alcohol will only get rid of some of the bacteria. It encourages people to avoid uses brushes that people use to apply the sample product. Another suggestion was to avoid things like lotion that come in a jar or container that one would typically apply to the body with the hand. Instead, the article advises people to use tube sample that can be squeezed out.