UK women clean their make-up brushes less than once a year

The average woman’s make-up brush contains up to a year’s worth of old make-up and skin cells, according to research by make-up brush and accessories supplier Makeup Brushes.

Of the 2,481 women surveyed, the majority said they wash their make-up brushes less than once a year and share their brushes with, on average, six different people.

Respondents also revealed that, on average, their lipstick had been used by nine different people, their eyeliner by five and their mascara by four.

47% said they had experienced ill effects as a result, including cold sores (38%), spots (23%) and itching (16%). Meanwhile, 69% said they wear make-up everyday and a quarter confessed to sleeping with it on.

Stacey Fletcher, make-up artist for Makeup Brushes, said: “It’s easy to think these small things won’t make a difference but it could be the difference between flawless skin and acne. It may take a few extra minutes, or it may mean saying no to a friend, but these are beauty no-no’s, and no-no’s for a reason.”

Tom Pellereau, AKA Inventor Tom who won BBC’s The Apprentice, recently tested a range of make-up brushes, including some from retail make-up counters, and found that some had more than 40,000 bacteria on them.