使用过的化妆品，被发现含有传染性细菌污染物

使用过的化妆品，被发现含有传染性细菌污染物

When was the last time you checked the use-by date of your makeup? Or washed your brushes and sponges? If the answer is "never" or even "a while ago", you could be smearing infectious bacteria on your skin every time you apply your warpaint.

你上次检查化妆品的使用日期是什么时候?或者洗你的刷子和海绵是什么时候?如果答案是“永远”甚至“不久以前”，那么每次你涂上防皱剂时，都可能会在皮肤上涂抹感染性细菌。

A new study of makeup in the UK found that up to 90 percent of used products could be crawling with potentially deadly microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Citrobacter freundii.

英国一项最新的化妆品研究发现，高达90%的使用过的化妆品可能爬满了致命的微生物，如金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌和弗劳迪柠檬酸杆菌。

Biomedical scientists Amreen Bashir and Peter Lambert of Aston University in the UK examined four kinds of makeup, lipstick, lip gloss, eyeliner and mascara, and found alarmingly high levels of bacterial contamination. The higher the water content, the higher the likelihood of contamination.

英国阿斯顿大学的生物医学科学家Amreen Bashir和Peter Lambert检测了四种化妆品，唇膏、唇彩、眼线膏和睫毛膏，发现了高水平的细菌污染。含水量越高，污染的可能性就越大。

Of particular note were 'blender' sponges, a type of egg-shaped makeup applicator that has become popular in recent years for applying foundation and contouring. These were the worst offenders, with the highest rate of fungal contamination.

特别值得注意的是化妆海绵，这是一种蛋形化妆器，近年来已广泛应用于基础和轮廓。他们是最严重的罪犯，真菌污染率最高。

In total, the team examined 467 products - 96 lipsticks, 92 eyeliners, 93 mascaras, 107 lip glosses and 79 blender sponges.

总的来说，研究小组检测了467种产品——96种唇膏、92种眼线膏、93种睫毛膏、107种唇彩和79种化妆海绵。

"Cosmetic regulations clearly state that products should not contain pathogenic organisms," the researchers wrote in their paper. Yet, "70 to 90 percent of all used products were contaminated with bacteria."

研究人员在论文中写道：“化妆品法规明确规定，产品不应含有致病微生物。”。然而，“70%到90%的旧产品被细菌污染。”

To try to find out why, the team also conducted a questionnaire to study the makeup habits of the users of these products. And, unsurprisingly, they found that the problem is likely a user error.

为了找出原因，研究小组还对这些产品的使用者的化妆习惯进行了问卷调查。不出所料，他们发现问题很可能是用户使用错误。

Makeup doesn't go 'off' like food. But the use-by dates aren't just there for funsies; the date on the packaging indicates the length of time preservatives in the product are expected to keep bacterial contamination at bay. How this information is conveyed varies regionally; the US, for example, has no regulations requiring expiry information on makeup packaging.

化妆品不像食物那样容易变质。但是保质期不仅仅是为了好玩;包装上的日期表明产品中防腐剂的使用时间，以防止细菌污染。信息的传达方式因地区而异;例如，美国没有规定要求化妆品包装上的有效期信息。

A 2013 study found that most users will keep using makeup after the expiry date, anyway. Of an admittedly small sample of 44 students in Brazil, 97.9 percent admitted that they had continued to use their makeup after it had expired.

2013年的一项研究发现，不管怎样，大多数用户会在有效期过后继续使用化妆品。在巴西44名学生中，97.9%的人承认他们在化妆品过期后继续使用化妆品。

That's not great, but the blender sponges? That's where it gets truly gross.

那不太好，但是化妆海绵呢?这才是真正恶心的地方。

In the questionnaire, 93 percent of respondents admitted they had never washed their blender, and 64.4 percent said they had dropped it on the floor and continued to use it afterwards.

在调查问卷中，93%的受访者承认他们从未洗过化妆海绵，64.4%的人说他们把化妆海绵掉在地上，然后继续使用。

Even if they are washed, there's still a significant risk, the researchers said.

研究人员说，即使洗过了，仍然有很大的风险。

"[Foundation] blenders have only been recently introduced as an application product and limited information is available on how best to use or clean them. Our results have shown that these products carried the highest bacterial load during use and more than a quarter were contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae," they wrote in their paper.

“[粉底]化妆海绵最近才作为一种应用产品推出，关于如何最好地使用或清洁化妆海绵的信息有限。他们在论文中写道：“我们的研究结果表明，这些产品在使用过程中携带的细菌量最高，超过四分之一的产品受到肠杆菌科的污染。”。

"Blenders can be cleaned with warm, soapy water, therefore encouraging microbial proliferation if not dried."

化妆海绵可以用温水、肥皂水清洗，因此如果不烘干，就会促进微生物的繁殖。”

The research, they said, shows that cosmetics companies and regulatory bodies could and should be doing more to caution customers about appropriate makeup safety. In particular, the researchers were concerned about bacteria such as E. coli, which is usually linked to faecal contamination.

他们说，这项研究表明，化妆品公司和监管机构可以也应该做更多的工作，提醒消费者注意适当的化妆品安全。特别是，研究人员关注的是大肠杆菌等通常与粪便污染有关的细菌。

And, while we're on the subject: Never, ever buy counterfeit cosmetics.

而且，当我们讨论这个话题时：永远，永远不要买假冒的化妆品。