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10 best make-up brush cleaners that give your beauty tools a hassle-free deep cleanse
Say goodbye to dirt, bacteria, stains and product build-up with the help of an effective product
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Your support makes all the difference.We all understand the importance of keeping our skin clean, but what about our make-up brushes? As something we use on a daily basis, it’s difficult to keep on top of maintaining them, particularly when there can be so many in your collection.
Yet of all the tools used in our daily routine, brushes pose the greatest danger to your complexion, harbouring bacteria that feeds on the typically wet formulas of our make-up.
If you’re noticing more spots or blackheads than usual and you haven’t introduced new products into your routine, your brushes or sponges could be to blame.
Thankfully, the days of giving your tools a half-hearted clean with leftover shampoo are long gone. A new wave of cleansing products promise to deep clean and sanitise them without damaging their structure or effectiveness.
We put them to the test, refreshing brushes and sponges of all shapes and sizes – but all worn from extensive use – to find the most effective make-up brush cleaner for your routine. From the simple to the rigorous, here are our top finds.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Beautyblender liquid blendercleanser, 150ml: £16, Cult Beauty
Make-up fanatics are all familiar with the cult favourite Beautyblender for applying their make-up, but will be equally experienced with how tough they are to keep clean. While erasing surface stains is relatively simple, achieving a deep clean requires something stronger. Beautyblender’s liquid cleanser contains coconut surfactants, dead sea salts and a lavender fragrance to not only rinse sponges (and brushes) free of all make-up, but also reduce any spot-triggering bacteria. We loved how little product you needed to see the effects and found that it refreshed our sponges and brushes to near-new status.
Revolution portable deep cleanse solid make-up brush cleaner: £4.99, Superdrug
Those frequently on the go will appreciate how easy this product is to use. To use the solid brush cleaner, you simply need to wet your brush and press it into the tub until it foams up, this will reduce any residue. Surprisingly mess-free, this is much faster than its competitors, easy to keep clean (just run it under the tap) and purse-friendly. However, those who prefer to apply make-up with sponges may find it a bit fiddly at first.
Iconic London brush cleaner: £12.50, Iconic London
For a quick refresh of your brushes, this Iconic London cleaner is an efficient option. There’s no need to rinse, but rather just spray your brush and massage onto either a towel or your hand, depending on how much product needs removing. Brushes need reshaping after use, but are left cleansed and not so wet that they’re unusable. As an added bonus, it’s cruelty-free and smells amazing.
Bobbi Brown conditioning brush cleanser: £12, John Lewis & Partners
If you’re worried about damaging your make-up brushes, opt for this Bobbi Brown cleansing formula as it’s designed to condition brush fibres. A little bit goes a long way, leaving brushes feeling both soft and strong. It may not always remove make-up after the first rinse and can require a second round to remove more stubborn stains, but it’s worth the effort.
StylPro make-up brush cleaner and dryer: £39.99, Feel Unique
Washing your brushes is only half the struggle when they can take so long to dry that they’re unusable for the next 24 hours. As a two-in-one cleaner and dryer, this device uses centrifugal spin technology to wash your brushes, meaning they’re ready to use as quick as they’re cleaned. While this promise doesn’t quite hold true to some bigger brushes, we were impressed by this tool’s thoroughness. It requires a lot of maintenance – make-up tends to get stuck inside the rim of the bowl – but is ideal for those who use a lot of different brushes in their routine.
NYX on the spot make-up brush cleaner spray: £9, NYX
A quick solution to dirty brushes, this cleaner sprays onto a cloth and, when gently massaged over brushes, conditions and protects tools against bacteria growth. It may not provide a deep clean like others on this list – and those sensitive to fragranced products might want to avoid this one, as it’s heavily scented and does leave a slight residue on your brushes – but it’s ideal quick fix.
Real Techniques cosmetics brush cleanser: £7.50, Boots
Real Techniques specialises in high-quality, low-cost brushes, and their brush cleaner is no different. It’s deep cleansing without affecting the quality of the bristles. As well as removing make-up, it also takes care of any oil transferred from your skin to your brush.
BareMinerals quick change brush cleaner: £10, BareMinerals
Like it says on the tin, this brush cleaner is for a speedy clean, rather than eradicating months of ignored buildup. Our tester used it by spraying a cloth and massaging it on any affected areas, finding it particularly useful for smaller brushes. It has a slight fragrance, but nothing strong enough to trigger an outbreak.
Clinique make-up brush cleanser: £14, Debenhams
The first thing we noticed about this product is just how much you get for your money – £14 will get you 200ml, which can easily last for months. Clinique recommends that you only use one spray per side of your brush, which we found to be true even with the stubbornest of stains. Brushes were left as soft and luxurious as the day we bought them.
e.l.f. make-up brush cleaning glove: £12.50, e.l.f
When cleansers alone aren’t enough to clean your brushes, this handy tool from e.l.f. features multiple textures to clean small and big brushes alike. After wetting our brushes, we used the larger pattern to rinse off excess product while the smaller side helps set fibres back into place. There’s even two useful slots in the side to support your brushes while they dry. We were worried initially that this would damage our more fragile brushes, but our tester was impressed by its efficiency.
The verdict: Make-up brush cleaners
For the best all-round product, we recommend Beautyblender’s liquid cleanser, which can tackle the worst of stains in both brushes and sponges. For a cheaper, more portable option that’s just as effective, we also recommend Revolution’s solid make-up brush cleaner.