Scientist explains ‘beauty red flag’ that could be making your skincare mouldy

Sometimes, natural is better, but when it comes to certain preservatives in our beauty routines, we definitely want them as they prevent the product from getting mouldy

When you’re using your beauty products, you probably don’t realise you’re making some glaring mistakes that could actually be dangerous.

Hannah English, a beauty scientist who lives in Sydney, has highlighted some ‘beauty red flags’ that she catches women doing all the time, and some of them will make you squirm – especially if you think your skincare being ‘preservative free’ is beneficial to you.

She headed to Instagram to share her five red flags, asking other social media users to not ‘get mad’ with her for some of the things she said – as they may come across as controversial.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking ‘natural’ is better when it comes to beauty, but speaking about make-up and skin care, Hannah said: “I would never think of preservative-free as a good thing.

“Preservatives are in your products to keep them from getting mould in them, okay, and […] we’re trying to prevent that so that we don’t get a rash, so that we don’t get a lot of other harmful stuff.

“If a water-based product has no preservative it will get mould in it.”

In the video, Hannah spoke about her hatred for loofahs, as again, they present a mould risk if not washed properly – and it’s easy to assume, that because they’re in your shower and you use them to wash, they’re clean.

Hannah also mentioned if your make-up has SPF in it, you still need to use SPF separately beforehand as the amount of foundation you would need to adequately cover your face is a quarter of a teaspoon, and she says ‘no one uses that much foundation.’

She warned against spraying perfume on your chest and neck due to the ‘compounds’ which can ‘make your skin more photosensitive’. As an alternative, she recommended spraying the back of your neck, claiming it ‘lasts longer’ that way too.

Hannah also suggested not mixing suncream with anything else such as a tint, as the coverage may be patchy if you mix it with other formulas. Adding tint, bronzer or highlight could ‘destabilise the whole thing’.

In the comments, many people praised Hannah’s straight-talking advice, agreeing that it was right.

One user also had a hatred for loofahs, writing: “I went to a friends house… and their loofah was on the floor in their shower. Not me being a guest and then lecturing them about their shower hygiene!”

“I never knew that about perfumes. I’ll have to keep this in mind”, another praised.

“Taking notes”, someone else commented.

“Mouldy loofahs and skincare? No thank you”, one Instagrammer wrote, followed by clapping emojis.

What are your beauty pet peeves? Let us know in the comments.