Research Paper : A Study of the Proper Use of Cosmetics and Microbial Contamination over Time

Kim, Sun Hyung; Lim, Dou Yeun

Journal of the Korean Society of Cosmetology 2009;15(3):1059-1065.
Published online September 30, 2009.

화장품의 사용기간과 사용방법에 따른 미생물 오염도

김선형, 임도연

Research Paper : A Study of the Proper Use of Cosmetics and Microbial Contamination over Time

Sun Hyung Kim, Dou Yeun Lim

Abstract

This study has investigated the proper use of cosmetics and the microbial contamination over time to secure the safety of cosmetics. According to experiments, in case of toner, no change has been observed in terms of usage and microbial contamination over time. In case of cream touched by fingers, on the contrary, microbes greatly increased over a longer time. In addition, general bacteria, fungi and colon bacilli were detected in the sample touched by fingers. compared to the specimen used with a tool instead of fingers, the sample touched by fingers was 205 times higher in terms of the number of general bacteria. The result was pretty same in most domestic and foreign cream products. A considerable amount of microbes were also observed in natural cosmetic despite a short period of use. Since microbes can greatly increase depending on the usage and period of use of cosmetics, it is desirable to label the expiry date on the cosmetics and teach the proper usage.

Key Words: Expiry Date Of Cosmetics, Usage, Microbes