GERMS ARE EVERYWHERE: In-use makeup products, namely blending sponges, crawling with infectious bacteria: study. “Conducted by researchers with Aston University’s School of Life and Health Sciences in the UK, the study found that roughly 90 percent of the makeup products tested – such as mascara, lip gloss and ‘blender’ sponges – were contaminated with ‘superbugs’ like E. coli and Staphylococci.”