At Home Sanitation+Hygiene: Cosmetic Edition.

At Home Sanitation+Hygiene: Cosmetic Edition.

Currently there is a lot of discussion about sanitation and hygiene floating around, due to the recent COVID-19. We here at Vigilante Cosmetics wanted to share some information on the subject with you, in regards to your cosmetics and beauty routine.

For starters, if you did not already know, most cosmetics have a shelf life printed on their packaging or the product itself. Typically, you would see a number followed by a letter. This lets you know that you should toss that product out after that amount of time has passed, this could mean after opening or after it’s manufacturing date. After that date, the product will start to harbor bacteria. Keeping and using an expired product (depending on the area of use), can result in a number of things like: contact dermatitis, break outs, pink eye, inflammation, and infections. A great tip would be to sharpie the date you open your products onto your product, to help keep up with when you should toss them.
*Below, is an example of a specific Tatcha product that labels it’s shelf life as “6M”, meaning 6 months from the date of opening.

Sharing is caring in most cases, but sharing your beauty products is a huge no-no! Especially products that are used directly on and around your eyes and mouth, such as: mascara, eye liners, under-eye concealers, and a variety of lip products. However, you can pass just about anything through cross contamination, so it’s best to just keep your products and tools to yourself. There are great companies like BeautySoClean that make products to help you keep your makeup clean and sanitized.

Don’t forget about your tools! For personal use, you should be washing your own makeup brushes with antibacterial soap and sanitizers, once every 5-7 days, as they harbor bacteria and germs too. Wipe down your tweezers, facial massagers, and facial hair trimmers with 70% alcohol or sanitizers. It’s also best to use disposable sponges (or replace your more expensive sponges regularly), because it is difficult to clean a sponge thoroughly to the core; and they are the perfect place for mold to grow. When using cosmetics that come in a jar, use a spatula to dip into your product, and then sanitize your spatula between uses. We would also suggest changing out your tooth brush and razor blades regularly enough to minimize bacteria growth.
*Below, is a product made by Tatcha, that provides you with a spatula to remove product from it’s container hygienically.



*For PROFESSIONAL use of tools and products, you should be following all State Board Guidelines (in your licensed state) for working conditions, each and every time you work.

Stay Safe,

The Vigilante Cosmetics Team

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