How to clean makeup brushes (and how often)

Luluwala editorial deskUpdated September 2026Checked against AAD, Cleveland Clinic and NHS guidance
Short answer

Wash most brushes every 7 to 10 days, which is what the American Academy of Dermatology recommends. Brushes that carry liquid or cream go weekly or sooner, eye brushes about every two weeks, and dry powder brushes can stretch to a month. Cleaning is about hygiene and even application, not about curing acne.

How often depends on what the brush touches. Wet product, eye-area use and daily wear all shorten the interval, and none of it fits one number.

On this page
  1. How often, by brush type
  2. The wash that does not damage the brush
  3. What to use, and what to avoid
  4. What is actually on a used brush
  5. Not an acne cure
  6. Questions people ask

How often to clean, by brush type

Intervals come from published dermatology guidance rather than a measured threshold. The research is summarised further down.

Brush Wash every Why this interval
Liquid and cream brushes (foundation, concealer, cream blush) 7 days, sooner if acne-prone Wet product leaves the head damp for hours. Cleveland Clinic puts wet-product brushes at once a week.
Eye brushes (eyeshadow, eyeliner, blending) About 14 days The eye is more prone to infection, which is why Cleveland Clinic separates these.
Dry powder brushes (setting powder, blush, bronzer) Up to 30 days, weekly if used daily Powder does not leave the head wet, so the moisture bacteria need is absent.
Blending sponges After every use Used wet and left damp, a sponge holds moisture and product for the longest.
Everything, as a floor 7 to 10 days The AAD recommends washing every 7 to 10 days, and never sharing brushes.

If you remember one number, remember the week. Seven to ten days is the interval a dermatology body will put its name to, and it is the right default for anything that touches your whole face.

The wash that does not damage the brush

  1. Wet only the bristles, pointing down, so water runs away from the handle. Submerging the whole head dissolves the glue in the ferrule.
  2. Use gentle shampoo or a brush cleanser, not bar soap. The AAD recipe is a tablespoon of shampoo in a bowl of lukewarm water, and it warns that plain soap and water can dry out bristles.
  3. Lather at the base, then work outwards. Product collects near the ferrule, so start there and finish at the tips.
  4. Rinse until clear, then squeeze and reshape. Press the head gently in a towel and set the outline with your fingers while it is still damp. A foundation brush usually needs two or three passes.
  5. Dry flat, tips over the edge of the counter. Never stand a wet brush upright: water reaches the ferrule and softens the glue.
The mistake that ends more brushes than dirt doesDo not stand a wet brush upright in a cup. Water travels down to the ferrule, the glue softens, and the head eventually lifts off. Dry flat, then store upright once it is genuinely dry.

What to use, and what to avoid

What you reach for Verdict Reason
Gentle or clarifying shampoo in lukewarm water The standard The AAD method: a tablespoon of shampoo in a bowl of lukewarm water.
A cleanser made for makeup brushes Best for regular washing Formulated to rinse out fully and leave bristles soft.
Mild soap in the palm Fine Cleveland Clinic suggests a drop of mild soap worked in with your palm.
Dish soap Works, sparingly A degreaser, so it lifts foundation well, but it is harsh on natural bristles and leaves residue on skin.
Very hot water, a washing machine, a hot hairdryer Avoid, or never Heat and soaking stress the glue in the ferrule, and a hot hairdryer distorts synthetic fibres.

What is actually on a used brush

Two studies are worth knowing about, because most brush-hygiene content repeats numbers without a source.

81%of bacterial isolates from used brushes were Gram-positive
106CFU/ml average load found in beauty blenders
44.3%of surveyed users rarely cleaned their brushes

Attar and Imam (2025) swabbed 57 used brushes and blenders in Jeddah and identified 71 bacterial strains, 81% Gram-positive. Micrococcus (31%), Staphylococcus (23%) and Bacillus (16%) dominated, and Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis were both isolated.

Bashir and Lambert (2020) tested used cosmetics and applicators in the UK: 79% to 90% were contaminated at loads of 102 to 103 CFU per ml, with beauty blenders averaging above 106 CFU per ml. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Citrobacter freundii were detected.

Cleaning is hygiene and performance. It is not an acne cure

The NHS lists "acne is caused by having dirty skin and poor hygiene" as a myth. Acne happens when sebum and dead skin cells plug a hair follicle, and hormones drive it.

The survey side of the Jeddah study points the same way: across 358 participants, the association between cleaning frequency and reported skin problems was not statistically significant (p = 0.698). What cleaning does buy you is narrower but real. Makeup applies the way it should, because old product is not sitting in the head, and the surface bacterial load on the tool is lower.

What we do not knowThere is no controlled trial showing that washing brushes weekly reduces acne, and no study we could find that sets a measured standard for how long a brush takes to dry. Treat the 7 to 10 day figure as hygiene guidance, and any drying time, including ours, as an estimate.

Habits that matter more than the exact schedule

  1. Never share eye brushes or mascara wands. The AAD says plainly: never share your makeup brushes.
  2. Spot-clean between washes. A brush cleaner on a tissue removes surface colour in seconds.
  3. Do not close a damp brush in a bag, and retire rather than rescue. A head that still sheds after washing, smells when dry, or has a loose ferrule is finished.

Next in this series

Questions people ask

What can I use to clean makeup brushes?
Gentle or clarifying shampoo in lukewarm water, which is the AAD method, or a cleanser made for brushes. A mild soap in the palm works too, but the AAD notes plain soap and water dries out bristles.
What is the best way to clean dirty makeup brushes?
Rinse the bristles only with the head pointing down. Lather with gentle shampoo, rinse until the water runs clear, squeeze the head in a towel, reshape with your fingers, then dry flat with the tips over the edge of the counter. The AAD and Cleveland Clinic give that same sequence.
What should you not clean makeup brushes with?
Very hot water, harsh household cleaners, a washing machine and a hot hairdryer. Heat and repeated soaking stress the glue in the ferrule, and a hot hairdryer can warp synthetic fibres. Plain bar soap is fine occasionally but dry out bristles with regular use.
Is dish soap ok to clean makeup brushes?
It works, with care. Dish soap is a degreaser, so it lifts foundation out of bristles well, but it is harsher than shampoo and leaves residue close to your skin. Use it for heavy build-up and rinse for longer than feels necessary.

Sources

  1. American Academy of Dermatology. How to clean your makeup brushes — www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/routine/clean-your-makeup-brushes
  2. Cleveland Clinic (Melissa Piliang, MD). How to clean your makeup brushes and why you need to — health.clevelandclinic.org/cleaning-makeup-brushes
  3. Attar RMS, Imam MA. Assessing the levels and types of bacterial contamination in cosmetic brushes: implications for beauty and hygiene in Jeddah City. International Journal of Microbiology, 2025 — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12074853/
  4. Bashir A, Lambert P. Microbiological study of used cosmetic products: highlighting possible impact on consumer health. Journal of Applied Microbiology 128(2):598-605, 2020 — doi.org/10.1111/jam.14479
  5. NHS. Acne: causes (including the myth that acne is caused by dirty skin and poor hygiene) — www.nhs.uk/conditions/acne/causes/

Brushes and care tools that survive a weekly wash

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