Why you shouldn’t rub your serum pipette on your face
Pipettes were chosen by skincare manufacturers to eliminate the transfer of bacteria.
Woman using serum. Image: iStock by Yakobchuk Olena
While we have social media to thank for a lot of the beauty and skincare knowledge that we have amassed in recent years, it is also to blame for the numerous bad habits we have picked up simply because we saw our favourite beauty gurus doing things that way.
One such bad habit is rubbing your serum pipette directly onto your skin while applying your serum.
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What is a pipette?
A pipette is a laboratory tool commonly used in chemistry, biology and medicine to transport a measured volume of liquid, often as a media dispenser.
Why shouldn’t you rub your pipette directly onto your skin?
According to skincare specialist Hyram Yarbro, serums that are sold in that storage format create a prime environment for bacteria to grow, and touching the pipette to your face picks up bacteria which is then put back into the skincare solution where it will grow further.
The next time you use it, you may be re-applying bacteria to your face.
Yarbo advises dropping the solution on to your fingertips or palms, distributing it over your hands and then patting it into the skin for effective application.
Pipettes are actually considered to be better product delivery tools in the beauty and skincare community as they eliminate the transfer of bacteria when used properly.
There are numerous Reddit threads also dedicated to imploring beauty fanatics to not rub pipettes onto their skin.
“Most products have preservatives in them that make them stable on their own, but once you start introducing bacteria and oils from your skin into a full container of product, you’re just creating a petri dish. This is extra problematic if you have any kind of active breakouts or broken skin on your face,” wrote one user.
Beauty influencers came up with this, and other application methods simply because they’re aesthetically pleasing. Most of the application methods (like dabbing countless dots of foundation and concealer on your face, or pumping ridiculous amounts of product on to a brush) are not practical.
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