How to Care for Our Makeup Bag in Covid-19

We know all about Hands, Face, Space in public places, but what about in our cosmetic bags?

As restrictions begin to lift in the UK, we are more inclined to put our faces on and throw a lippy in the bag on the way to our rule-of-six al fresco drinks. But with that comes the reminder of hygiene in the pandemic and sadly makeup tools and products are a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. But worry not, we’ve pooled together the best advice out there on how to keep your makeup bag and products as clean and clear of viruses as possible.

First thing’s first- if you’ve had it, throw it!

If you have unfortunately contracted Covid-19, Dr. Aragona Giuseppe in Huffington Post, states that respiratory droplets can be transferred from your hands or face to your products and may be sitting on the surfaces of your makeup products. So, whatever products you have been in contact with whilst contracting Covid, it’s probably best to get rid.

Clean products regularly

We know that Covid-19 can live on surfaces such as plastic, cardboard, and stainless steel up to 72 hours, so cosmetic packaging can be an ideal place for bacteria to hang around. Depending on how often you use your products, spraying packaging with antibacterial spray with an alcohol content over 70% and wiping down daily to weekly, will counteract the chance of infection. Although it won’t necessarily kill Covid, it will break down the lipid layers surrounding the virus and reduce the chances of it sticking around in your makeup bag.

Replace and replenish

Fortunately, most makeup has antimicrobial preservatives which reduce the growth of bacteria, however they are not enough to kill off viruses. Check use by dates, throw away dirty looking lipsticks and products, and replace with fresh ones. Pay particular attention to lip and liquid products, as these are difficult to wipe clean. Dr Yuna Rapoport in Huffington Post recommends replacing eyeliners and mascaras every 3 months and eyeshadows every 6, for average users.

Sharing is caring but not with Covid

Usually on a night out, lending your friend that lip gloss is a passing moment, but Covid-19 spreads the most through openings such as the mouth and eyes, so do not share makeup products with friends, particularly lipsticks and mascaras. Best to keep it to yourself.

Wash those brushes

We all tend to delay this task at the best of times, but with the on-going public health crisis it has never been more important to frequently wash our brushes. Professionals recommend washing brush heads every week to prevent acne breakouts and transfer of bacteria such as Staphylococcus from skin and Herpes and Conjunctivitis from lip or eye products.

There are currently no conclusive studies about how long Covid can live on brushes, but we know it can live on certain surfaces up to 3 days, so best not take our chances! If you are an MUA wash brushes thoroughly after each client. Liquid soap is effective in breaking down chemical bonds in virus molecules but our STYLPRO Brush Cleanser permeates into all brush heads to remove as much makeup and bacteria from bristles as possible.

Finish off cleaning all tools (including tweezers, scissors and false eyelashes) with our STYLPRO Antibacterial Beauty Tool Spray.

Keep your makeup bag and cosmetic tools as safe as possible with these measures and yourself, with the Government’s guidelines on Covid-19, which you can find here.