Sleeping in Makeup Ages Your Skin

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A recent survey found that almost 50 percent of women sleep with their makeup on at least once a week and nearly a third fails to cleanse their skin before bed twice a week. But one reporter’s experiment showed that her skin had biologically aged 10 years after only one month of sleeping with her makeup on.

After hearing these shocking statistics, The Daily Mail reporter Anna Purgslove decided to find out for herself what sleeping in makeup does to skin. Prior to the experiment, her skin was evaluated by a 3D camera. Purgslove then challenged herself to leave her makeup on not just for a night, but for an entire month. She did not use any cleansing products at night, instead rinsing her face lightly and applying fresh makeup each morning. After three days, she could already visibly see the consequences to her skin.

“I had developed a series of tiny white cysts around my eyelashes, and my skin was so dry and taut it felt like a mask,” said Purgslove. “Close inspection of my skin in a magnifying mirror revealed the surface had become flaky and lumpy, a bit like a badly plastered wall. Moreover, the foundation that I had once loved looked dry and crepe-y on my skin.” 

At the end of her month-long experiment, Purgslove was re-evaluated by Stefanie Williams, MD, medical director of the European Dermatology London clinic. Dr. Williams concluded that within a month, Purgslove’s skin had biologically aged one decade. Moisture levels in her skin dropped, wrinkles became deeper and more prominent, and her pores had grown 5 percent larger from physical clogging. Purgslove worried that she had ruined her skin, and her looks, forever.

Purgslove is not alone. Beauty retailer Escentual.com recently surveyed 778 women and found that 47.9 percent confessed to sleeping with their makeup on at least once a week. More than 30 percent of the women surveyed admitted they don’t remove their makeup before bed twice a week.