Nan needs knowledge: Hi my name is Nan and I go to einstien middle school and I need a expert for science and were doing a project and I’am doing lipgloss and I need to go know if they have bacteria in them and which type of lipgloss melts faster? and I hope you can reply back! Thanks!
Sarah Bellum Says:
Hi Nan! I love to get science questions from students. I always wish I had gotten to do science experiments on beauty products when I was in school.
Buggy bacteria
First, you should read the post that the brainy Right Brain wrote about how lip gloss works. That explains the different kinds of ingredients in lip gloss. If you click on the links in that post you’ll find ingredient lists for a bunch of lip glosses like Bonnie Bell, Revlon, and Philosophy. And you’ll see they contain chemicals with names like methylparaben and propylparaben. These are preservatives that stop bacteria and mold from growing in cosmetic products. So to answer the first part of your question, no, lip glosses and other cosmetics do not normally contain bacteria. (There are exceptions. Like the time in the school locker room when I got mad at Trixie Yeagle and spit in her shampoo when she wasn’t looking. But that’s a story for another time…)
Messy melting
The second part of your question is a tricker. If you want to know which lip gloss melts the fastest you’ll have to get a few different kinds of lip gloss for a little experiment. The liquid-gel type lip glosses melt at very low temperatures (you could even say they’re already melted.) So you’ll want to get some of the waxy kinds that are sold in little pots or the stick types melt at much higher temperatures.
If you have a science lab at your school you can work with your teacher to heat the lip glosses and use a thermometer to measure their melting temperatures. But if you don’t have a lab, you can have your parents help you experiment at home. You could try dropping small amounts of lip gloss in hot water and watching how fast they melt. (Remember though, that if you do this in water you’re probably really measuring how fast they dissolve, not melt.) Maybe a better way would be to put a little dab of each gloss in a frying pan or skillet, turn the heat on VERY LOW and watch to see which one melts the fastest. Be VERY careful you don’t burn them! Just make sure you have a parent to help so you don’t set the kitchen on fire!
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Kitchen science can be fun, as long as you play it safe and ask your parents first. So, good luck! I hope these ideas are helpful for your science project. Please write back and let us know how it turns out.
What do YOU think? Does anyone else in the Beauty Brains community have any other ideas on how Nan could melt lip glosses at home?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
How come the lip gloss needs preservatives though it’s water-less product???
While the product is water-less, it is exposed to the air and water during use. Each exposure can add water & microbes to the surface of the product. This creates an environment in which bacteria or mold can grow and contaminate the product. Thus, it’s good to include preservatives.
Hi! I need help with my science project because I love makeup and to make my science project enjoyable maybe I can do a project that has to do with makeup! I’m in 7th grade and I would like to do a project that has to do with foundations or lipgloss! So please tell me any ideas!
hi my name is jasmine and i am doin a science project on lipgloss ive been waiting for a long tme for this! and right now i really need help on it so if any help can be givin pls do
i love this experiment it sounds so cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi ! I am doing a project on lip gloss. I am in 8th grade and i will like to do it about how much bacteria grow in the lip gloss and I need a second variable, or another problem can you help me ?
Hi I’m in the 7th grade and I need to come up with a science experiment.Can you help me?
Helloo. Im in 10th grade and i need a science fair project ASAP. I was thinking of doing something with lip gloss, but i really dont know what to do! HELP!