This could be the end for communal makeup testers in beauty stores

• Beauty chains like Sephora and Ulta have announced that their testers are now for display only, while Bluemercury says customers will be given vacuum-sealed, individually-wrapped samples.
• Makeup testers have long been breeding grounds for diseases, and this pandemic might be the final push towards getting rid of them forever.
• It's likely the changes put in place for testers during the pandemic may become permanent.

The makeup tester has long been a key part of the shopping experience. You can purchase that lipstick online, but if you walk into a Sephora and try it on, you'll know how it really looks. But using makeup testers has always come with health risks, and now with the coronavirus pandemic, the era of the makeup tester may have definitively come to an end.

Representatives from Sephora and Ulta told Insider that the makeup testers in their stores would be there simply for display. A Bluemercury representative said vacuum sealed sample packets would be offered in place of testers.

In 2017, a woman sued Sephora, claiming she got herpes from using one of their lipstick testers. It was a reminder that viruses can live on lip balms and lipsticks, and that makeup testers, though delightful, could spread disease.

One 2019 study found that at least 70% of all the lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras and beauty blenders they tested had "significant levels of microbial contamination." And researchers have been saying this since at least 1971, when a study showed that 43% of eyeliners and mascara wands are contaminated.

"It has been well established that make up brushes and by extension make up testers are a breeding ground for microorganisms like bacteria," dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital, told Insider. It's that moist environment of liquid and cream that creates a cozy home for microorganisms.

"We know about COVID-19 living on inanimate objects for several hours to up to a few days," he added. "Since make up testers and brushes are applied directly to the face, the risk of potential spread of an infectious organism is amplified because of proximity to the mouth and nose."

Beauty chains like Sephora and Ulta hope customers will be OK with looking at samples

It took Sephora nine weeks to come up with its new re-opening protocols, which included six feet markers around registers and other crowded areas, mandatory face masks and temperature checks for employees, and testers put out for display only.

"We are not speculating about the future of testers right now," said an Ulta representative, "but do anticipate continued innovation in the in-store experience which may or may not include testers." For now, Ulta's testers exist to give visual cues to shoppers looking items like eyeshadow palettes.

This might cost beauty chains some business in the future, as many makeup sales are made after people sample the project. Annie Jackson, COO of Credo Beauty, told Glossy that "testers are an integral part of someone purchasing a product." Jessica Richards, founder of Shen Beauty, added that "you really need to test, feel and try the product."

Nonetheless, it looks like makeup testers aren't coming back anytime soon.

"I personally feel that it is unlikely that testers will return to mass stores like Sephora or Ulta any time soon," said Zeichner. Celebrities and models number among his clients, and he says he would never recommend any of them use makeup testers in stores.

At home, it's a good idea to stop sharing your makeup, wash your makeup tools every time you use them, and throw products out if they are past their expiration dates.

Read the original article on Insider