Makeup Samples Contain Mold, Bacteria and Fecal Matter

Photo courtesy: Yahoo!News

You might want to rethink that free makeover at the makeup counter.

Good Morning America went undercover to test the makeup samples at 10 big beauty stores and found that one out of every five samples had mold, yeast, and -- prepare yourself for this one -- even fecal matter.

OMG! How does this happen?

The Microbiology lab at New York University Langone Medical Centre says the eyeshadows, lipsticks, and foundations you've been testing before buying are not only caked with poop, but they're also smeared with strains of bacteria that can make you sick.

These pots, bottles and myriad of other containers usually do not supply a toothpick, cotton swab, or any other aid to removing the sample; so, people use their fingers to get the sample(s) they wish to try. Unfortunately, some of those digits have been in places and touched things we'd rather not think about - without the benefits of a handwashing afterwards.

Beauty counters, on average, replace their makeup samples once a year; so, the bacteria and other delights left behind have a good long time to ferment into something truly digusting.

The biggest germ dispensers are makeup brushes, foundations, and eye makeup. If you're hell-bent on testing makeup before you buy, always use a disposable applicator and test the color on the back of your hand or your neck -- not your face or (gasp!) your lips.

And if you're thinking you're immune because you only shop for makeup in the fancy department stores, check this out: GMA found no germ disparity between the high-end department store samples and the ones at the drugstore. It seems bacteria is indifferent to class.