Beauty expert reveals the makeup products you should NEVER share – and the ones that are safe to swap

Have you ever wondered if there are certain beauty products you should never share? 

One TikTok that recently went viral discussed the beauty products that could be the most unsanitary makeup options to borrow. 

Berlin-based content creator Andrea Subotic, 25, shared a video with her 3.3 million followers where she detailed the pricey products she would happily share – along with the one inexpensive one she would never let her pals use. 

The video received more than 93,000 likes and 200 comments, with women weighing in about the makeup products they absolutely advise against loaning out. 

FEMAIL spoke to a certified cosmetologist-aesthetician to find out if there are any beauty product that are safe to swap. 

In the viral video, Andrea explained she’d be happy to share her Dior blush, lipstick, Miss Dior perfume, lipliner, or highlighter, but she would never loan her beauty blender

In the viral video, Andrea explained she’d be happy to share her expensive Dior blush ($40), lipstick, Miss Dior perfume ($100), lipliner, or highlighter, but she would never loan her beauty blender, which costs about $20. 

Commenters were quick to weigh in with the products they would happily swap with their friends, as well as the ones they would never allow anyone to touch.  

‘I don’t share mascaras as I, for some reason, immediately get an eye infection,’ one commenter explained. 

‘Anything that goes on my lips or lashes people aren’t allowed to use and my beauty blender,’ one person commented, as another said sharing lipstick was ‘unhygienic.’ 

Other people said they don’t share any beauty products except for their perfume – while others were a bit more selfish and wouldn’t even swap their scent. 

‘Never my everything,’ one proclaimed. 

However, some people thought sharing was caring, especially if that’s how they grew up. 

‘I’m a theatre kid. Everyone’s makeup and perfume is communal for us. If ya got it we need it,’ a commenter wrote, as another said it depended on who they were letting borrow the beauty goods. 

Valerie Aparovich is a biochemist and certified cosmetologist-aesthetician at OnSkin, a cosmetic scanner that decodes ingredients in cosmetics and analyzes products

Commenters were quick to weigh in with the products they would happily swap with their friends, as well as the ones they would never allow anyone to touch

Some clarified that they’d be willing to share the product but not the applicator. 

Valerie Aparovich, biochemist and certified cosmetologist-aesthetician at OnSkin, a cosmetic scanner that decodes ingredients in cosmetics and analyzes products, revealed to FEMAIL which products are shareable and which are the most unhygienic. 

‘The eyes are a particularly vulnerable facial area since they lack the protective barriers that skin has, making them more susceptible to infections,’ Valerie told DailyMail.com. 

‘Mascara can harbor and, therefore, spread harmful microbes, which can lead to conjunctivitis or pink eye.’

‘Overall, sharing beauty products that contact the eyes, such as eye shadows, eyeliners, and eye makeup brushes, is a trouble-free transfer for bacteria and viruses from one person to another, so you should keep these items to yourself to maintain eye health,’ the cosmetologist said. 

According to Valerie, sharing lip products is equally risky, ‘because it can easily transmit germs from one person to another through traces of saliva.’ 

‘Shared lip products can especially spread the HSV-1 virus, which many people carry without showing visible symptom,’ Valerie warned, which could result in cold sores. 

While it is a bit safer to share powder products, there is still a bit of a risk, as Valerie advised that you can still pick up germs and risk skin irritation and infections, especially around the eyes and mouth. 

Even swapping beauty blenders or makeup brushes can lead to cross-contamination, which can cause  irritation and inflammation ‘and can exacerbate skin conditions like acne,’ according to Valerie. 

So, is it safe to share any beauty products at all, other than perfume?  

‘You can share powder-based products if your friend uses a clean makeup brush and swipes it over your product no more than once,’ Valerie said. 

‘You can only share your mascara and never its native wand,’ Valerie said, as long as you have a new, disposable spoolie on hand and only dip once. 

And it is possible to share eyeliner – as long as you immediately sharpen it before and after using – and at that point, it might just be easier to buy a new product of your own.