How to Sanitize Makeup, According to Experts

Cleaning your makeup might not be something you’ve thought much about. We all know to clean our brushes, sponges, and other tools, but the fact that makeup itself can get dirty isn’t so much a top-of-mind consideration. It’s important, but how do you do it? We tapped a brand founder and a cosmetic chemist to find out what makeup products need to be cleaned, how to clean them, and how to know when to throw them away and move on. Ahead, we’ll break down every type of makeup and how you can keep it in perfect shape.

Why You Should Clean Your Makeup

Simply put, makeup gets dirty. “Makeup, just like makeup brushes, can be filled with bacteria, external pollutants, buildup, and germs,” explains artist and makeup brand founder Aimee Carr. “This buildup can be things like oils, environmental debris, dirt, or product residue.” And if you skip cleaning? “If you are not being mindful of what your makeup is being exposed to and because of that not cleaning it regularly, it can lead to a range of health concerns, irritation, as well as your face breaking out,” she warns. Cosmetic chemist Charlene Valledor also notes that dirty makeup can lead to dermatitis.

How you treat your makeup also impacts the need to clean it. “There are some types of makeup that may have more exposure to different bacteria, germs, environmental concerns, dirt, oils, etc, over others. This is due to factors like ingredients or where you bring your makeup,” Valledor tells us. If you share your makeup with others or bring it with you into the world, you’ll want to clean it more often than if you use it alone and only in your home.