Can you sterilize lipstick?

[860Diamond]

In a word, no. The proper way to use lipstick from a tube is to cut off a portion of the lipstick, put it in a tray and apply it with a disposable applicator. I am a licensed cosmetologist. Most people who do makeup, are not. The problem with this is that most do not learn how disinfection works. There are 3 levels of decontamination. The highest level is sterilization. This is done usually by autoclave (your dentists office for example). Sterilizing is complicated and time consuming but it kills all bacteria and their spores. It is only necessary on instruments that will be cutting into skin. The second level of decontamination is disinfection. Disinfection kills all bacteria but not spores. You can only disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces. This means that things such as lipstick cannot be disinfected. Common items that can be disinfected are cuticle nippers, stainless cuticle pushers, nail clippers, combs, brushes. Barbicide, which is the blue stuff you will usually see combs soaking in at a salon, is a common disinfectant. Bleach is also a disinfection. The final level of decontamination is sanitation. Sanitization is simply lessening the amount of bacteria. Common sanitizers are soap and water and alcohol. ALCOHOL IS ONLY a sanitizer NOT a disintectant. So if a person who has herpes applies a lipstick on their lips and you wipe it off with even 91 percent alcohol, you may still end up with herpes. Remember lipstick is porous and cannot be disinfected. Also, lipliners and eyeliners cannot be disinfected. The only truly sanitary way to use a pencil liner is to use a new one for each person.