Is mold lurking in your facial cleanser? Derms warn you could be storing your skincare all wrong
She’s sharing the dirty truth about her cleanser.
Diana Hasler, a mother-of-one from Camden, Australia, was disgusted when she realized she had been using a moldy skincare product.
“Friendly reminder that if you keep face wash in the shower, things go moldy. I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” Halser said online.
In the minute-long clip, uploaded on Aug.8, Hasler informed her followers about the moment she discovered mold inside her Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser facewash.
“I bought this a month ago, and I was washing my face the other night, and I was like, ‘What’s that smell? Why does it smell funky?’” she questioned. “I open the lid, and then I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s mold.’”
Hasler, the owner of Bilash Baby boutique, was shocked when she noticed the inside of the bottle was contaminated with mildew.
She angled the item towards the camera so viewers could see the mold inside on the rim.
“Check your products… they go moldy even if newly purchased,” she captioned the video on her TikTok account @bilashbabyboutique.
Dr. Hannah Kopelman, a dermatologist at Kopelman Hair Restoration in New Jersey, explained the importance of paying attention to skincare expiration dates.
“Over time, the active ingredients in skincare products can degrade, reducing their effectiveness and potentially leading to irritation or even infections,” Dr. Kopeman told The Post.
Hasler noted that the spoiled product could be the reason for her recent random skin breakouts, so she went out and bought a new bottle that didn’t have any mold inside.
“Now I’m going to check probably every single day for mold,” she added. “I’m also going to check all my other things.”
Dr. Kopelman added that “most products have a “period after opening” (PAO) symbol, which indicates how long the product is safe to use after opening—usually between 6 to 12 months.”
The Australian resident is curious why her product went bad within a short period, asking other people if the issue is related to the fact she keeps her cleanser in the shower.
Dr. Brendan Camp, board-certified dermatologist of MDCS Dermatology in New York, told The Post that the shower is not the best place to keep your face products.
“Showers are damp environments. The damp, warm temperatures of showers can encourage the proliferation of microorganisms like mold,” Dr. Camp said. “Consider storing your skincare products in a cool, dark environment like a medicine cabinet.”
According to hundreds of TikTokers, Hasler isn’t the only person who has dealt with a spoiled solution.
“I had the same issue with my Cetaphil,” one said.
“New fear unlocked,” confessed one TikToker. “Now I am going to check my products.”
“This is why I choose clear bottles,” admitted a watcher.
Underneath the video comments, Hasler mentioned that Cetaphil had reached out to her.
“We will see what Cetaphil has to say since they messaged me. Mold shouldn’t really be getting into the bottle because of the whole pump situation. I don’t know, maybe a defect,” she revealed.
In a follow up video, uploaded on Aug. 11, Hasler updated followers that she has yet to hear from Cetaphil since the initial interaction.
“I reached out to them,” Hasler said. “I’ve heard nothing back from them yet.”
The Post has contacted Cetaphil for comment.
Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook
Original Source
