Have you ever wondered if there are certain beauty products you should never share?
A TikTok which recently went viral, discussed which beauty products might be the most unsanitary makeup options to borrow.
Andrea Subotic, 25, a content creator from Berlin, shared a video with her 3.3 million followers describing the expensive products she’d love to share with others, plus the one cheap product she’d never let her friends use.
The video received more than 93,000 likes and 200 comments, with women sharing their opinions on the makeup products they absolutely won’t lend out.
FEMAIL spoke to a certified beautician to find out whether there are beauty products that you can safely exchange.
A TikTok that recently went viral discussed the beauty products that could be the most unsanitary makeup options to borrow (stock image)
In the viral video, Andrea explained that she would happily share her Dior blush, lipstick, Miss Dior perfume, lip liner or highlighter, but that she would never lend out her beauty blender
In the viral video, Andrea explains that she would gladly share her expensive Dior blush ($40), lipstick, Miss Dior perfume ($100), lip liner or highlighter, but she would never lend out her beauty blender, which costs around $20.
Commenters were quick to point out which products they would happily trade with their friends, but also which products they would never let anyone else touch.
“I don’t share mascaras because for some reason they give me an instant eye infection,” one commenter explained.
“Anything I put on my lips or eyelashes, no one is allowed to use, including my beauty blender,” one person said, while another said sharing lipstick was “unhygienic.”
Others said they don’t share any beauty products except their perfume. Still others were more selfish and wouldn’t even swap their scent.
“Never my everything,” one cried.
However, some people felt that sharing was caring, especially if they had grown up that way.
“I’m a theater kid. Everyone’s makeup and perfume is shared by us. If you got it, we need it,” wrote one commenter, while another said it depended on who they let borrow the beauty products from.
Valerie Aparovich is a biochemist and certified cosmetologist-esthetician at OnSkin, a cosmetic scanner that decodes ingredients in cosmetics and analyzes products
Commenters were quick to weigh in on which products they’d happily trade with their friends, and which they’d never let anyone touch.
Some indicated that they were willing to share the product, but not the applicator.
Valerie Aparovichbiochemist and certified beautician-beautician at On the skina cosmetic scanner that decodes ingredients in cosmetics and analyses products, FEMAIL showed which products are shareable and which are the most unhygienic.
‘The eyes are a particularly vulnerable area of the face because they don’t have the protective barrier that the skin does, making them more susceptible to infection,’ Valerie told DailyMail.com.
‘Mascara can harbor and spread harmful microbes, which can lead to conjunctivitis.’
“In general, sharing beauty products that come into contact with the eyes, such as eye shadows, eyeliners, and eye makeup brushes, is a safe way to transfer bacteria and viruses from one person to another. Therefore, you should keep these products to yourself to maintain the health of your eyes,” the beautician said.
According to Valerie, sharing lip products is just as risky, ‘because it can easily transmit germs from one person to another through saliva traces.’
“Sharing lip products can spread the HSV-1 virus. Many people carry the virus without showing any visible symptoms,” Valerie warned. This virus can lead to cold sores.
While it is safer to share powdered products, there is still a risk. Valerie pointed out that you can still catch bacteria and run the risk of skin irritation and infections, especially around the eyes and mouth.
Even switching beauty blenders or makeup brushes can lead to cross-contamination, which can lead to irritation and inflammation ‘and can aggravate skin conditions such as acne,’ says Valerie.
Is it safe to share any beauty products except perfume?
“You can share powder-based products if your friend uses a clean makeup brush and doesn’t go over your product more than once,” says Valerie.
“You should only share your mascara and never the brush that comes with it,” Valerie said, as long as you have a new disposable brush on hand and only dip the brush into the wand once.
And it is possible to share eyeliner, as long as you sharpen it immediately before and after use. At that point it might be easier to buy a new product yourself.