Can you get the herpes virus by testing lipstick samples?
October 31, 2017
In the News: Can you get the herpes virus by trying on a lipstick sample? Yes, but it's highly unlikely, UCI Health dermatologist Dr. Janellen Smith tells the Huffington Post.
Asked about a report that a woman who is suing a cosmetics retailer claims to have contracted herpes from one of its lipstick samples, Smith said the herpes simplex virus doesn't live very long after it is shed by a person with an active cold sore.
If a person applied a lipstick sample immediately after someone with the virus had used it, the chances of contracting the virus are extremely small, said Smith, a professor in the UC Irvine School of Medicine's Department of Dermatology.
Even so, Smith's personal policy is not to "share anything with anyone who I am not already sharing kisses with."
Read the full article, "Yes, Doctors Confirm You Can Get Herpes From Trying On Lipstick Samples."
