Bath Or Facial Cleansing Brushes
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Personal Care & Safety Products · CPSC Code 1678
Up 32% over 5 years
The verdict
Bath Or Facial Cleansing Brushes carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 310 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 32% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 310
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 0.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1678 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for bath or facial cleansing brushes - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume310 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)0.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+32%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Bath Or Facial Cleansing Brushes (CPSC product code 1678, in the Personal Care & Safety Products category) generate an estimated 310 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 6,201 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 32% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2021 (698 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (60 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for bath or facial cleansing brushes is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 591 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by derma/conjunct to the face (364 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 997 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 0.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 11 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how bath or facial cleansing brushes fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 198 | 211 | |
| 5-14 | 242 | 511 | |
| 15-24 | 235 | 762 | |
| 25-34 | 331 | 564 | |
| 35-44 | 356 | 280 | |
| 45-54 | 195 | 391 | |
| 55-64 | 341 | 334 | |
| 65-74 | 628 | 221 | |
| 75+ | 100 | 305 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct | |
| All Parts Body | Derma/conjunct | |
| Pubic Region | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Pubic Region | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Foreign Body | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Pubic Region | Laceration | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Elbow | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
18 YOF TRYING TO CUT A ZIP TIE OFF A LOOFA SPONGE WITH EYEBROW RAZOR, SLIPPED, CUT HAND. DX HAND LACERATION
39 YOF HAD A TEMPORARY TATTOO TO HER RIGHT POSTERIOR SHOULDER. SHE TRIED MULTIPLE THINGS TO REMOVE IT INCLUDING RUBBING ALCOHOL, A SPONGE WITH *** BATHROOM CLEANER ON IT, AND GREEN TEA FACE WASH. THE AREA IS REDDENED, AND SHE STATES IT BURNS. DX CHEMICAL BURN TO SKIN RIGHT POSTERIOR SHOULDER
8 YOM IN SHOWER SCRUBBING HAIR WITH LOOFAH SPONGE FELT SCRATCH ON EYE DX ABRASION CORNEA
17YOM WAS IN THE SHOWER SQUEEZING A SPONGE WHEN HE FELT THE CRACK IN HIS RIGHT WRIST DX: TENDONITIS WRIST
35YOM PRESENTING WITH HISTORY OF MORE THAN A MONTH OF NOTICING A RASH, STAINING IN HIS CHEEKS, CHIN AND NOSE. HE SAYS IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE SINCE HE STARTED USING A NEW BATH SPONGE AND HE USES A BODY WASH TO WASH HIS FACE. DX: RASH
46YOM PRESENTS WITH DYSURIA AND PENILE PAIN AFTER USING A LOOFAH IN THE SHOWER ONE DAY PRIOR. DX: PENILE PAIN
30YOF WIHT RIGHT EYE PAIN THAT BEGAN YESTERDAY WHILE PUTTING ON MAKEUP, STATES A SPONGE FELL INTO HER RIGHT EYE AND MAY HAVE SCRATCHED HER EYE. DX: ABRASION OF RIGHT CORNEA
5 YOM C/O FOREIGN BODY OF EAR S/P HAS A PIECE OF A SPONGE IN EAR. DX: FOREIGN BODY OF EAR
3YOF PRESENTS W SPONGE IN RT NOSTRIL DX: NASAL FOREIGN BODY
4 YOF C/O FOREIGN BODY OF NOSE S/P PUT A PIECE OF A SPONGE UP NOSE. DX: FOREIGN BODY OF NOSE
14YOF WITH A POSSIBLE FOREIGN BODY TO HER VAGINA. YESTERDAY WHILE PATIENT WAS IN THE SHOWER SHE INSERTED A LOOFAH HANDLE INTO HER VAGINA. SHE NOTES THAT THIS HANDLE WAS A WOODEN HANDLE WITH A STRING ATTACHED. AFTER REMOVING THE HANDLE THE STRING WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE HANDLE. PATIENT REPORTS SENSATION THAT SOMETHING IS STILL IN HER VAGINA.
70YOM WAS TAKING A SHOWER TODAY AND ACCIDENTALLY SCRAPED A VARICOSE VEIN ON HIS RIGHT LOWER LEG WITH A SPONGE AND SUSTAINED AN ABRASION DX: ABRASION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I purchased the Prosonic Exfoliating brush in the spring, I had only used it roughly 15 times. Yesterday, while in the shower, it literally exploded in my hand while I was using it on my face. I saw a flash and it made a huge explosion sound (like a gunshot). The explosion seriously damaged the hearing in my right ear. It has now been 24hours after the incident and my ear still hurts, and I cannot hear properly. This is not the first incident of this time. The reviews on Amazon.com (which I wish I would have read before purchasing!) are full of similar incident with similar outcomes. This product is HIGHLY dangerous. I am thankful that I was not submerged in water, but god forbid if a child were to be playing with something like this and it exploded on them!
I purchased the Prosonic facial cleanser in December 2012. I usually used it daily for the past six months and this morning when using it, it exploded in my hand right by my ear and while on my face. The explosion made me drop the unit and cover my ears as they were ringing and still are. I picked up the unit again to try and turn it off, but it wouldn't turn off as the on/off button and the settings button were melted and blown out; however, it eventually stopped after about 10 minutes. This happened at 7:50 PST this morning and I am still quite dizzy, shaken up and have a slight ringing in my ear. I have read that this happened to a lot of other people, and when I bought my unit I also read this, but unfortunately didn't think much of it. Two of my friends purchased this at the same time and I've told them to stop using it. It appears that it's the batch of q4 2012, but who knows. Very dissatisfied and alarmed that this type of product is on the market with so many complaints of the same thing. A refunded machine will not make up for my hearing.
I purchased a Clarisonic Mia Prima Facial Clensing Brush from Sephora on January 4th 2020. I used it up until April 6th 2020 when I had to re-charge the battery for the first time. While plugged into the wall outlet charging over night, the brush ended up melting and burned up where the charger connected to the brush for charging. Both the charger and brush are black and burned and no longer operate.
I was bathing my 2 year old daughter with a loofah (Loads of Lather Terry Loofah Head from Added Extras LLC) that we recently bought for her. The loofah has a plush head attached to one side that resembles the Hello Kitty character and also has a small bow attached to the top of the head. My daughter has had it for approximately 4-5 baths now. This time, she was playing with it while I was washing her hair and she pulled the head off. I was disappointed that this broke but let her continue pl;aying as it didn't seem to be a safety hazard. the next thing I know, the pink bow has alo been pulled off as well. I know that this is a small part that could have easily been swallowed. I took it away from my daughter immediately.
I purchased a Bathery Bath Brush from Target. The brush has two sides to it. The brush side that I used was the bristle side. The other side is a mesh brush type. Yesterday, I was using the brush and I accidently used the mesh brush side on my testicles as I washed my body. I began to bleed profusely from my groin. I found that the mesh side of the brush had a type of a hook that holds the mesh onto the brush that had grabbed my testicle sack and punctured it. This product is extremely dangerous because the consumer does not know there is a sharp object protruding from the brush until it is too late. UPC: 079625633276 Item Number (DPCI) 037-08-1508
Purchased a Spin Spa brush from Amazon, seller was A Tavern for Tea LLC in Saint Petersburg, FL. While loading the 3 required double a batteries into the handle, I went to slide the battery cover on. The unit exploded in my hand with a loud bang and the top of the unit blew open and the head of the attachment blew off. The bang sounded like a loud gunshot in my ear. Something struck me in the arm and on my foot, leaving marks.
The Prosonic Cleansing and Exfoliating System manual states that it is waterproof and may be used in the shower. I was using the device to clean my face and noticed some stinging. After that the brush almost exploded with sparks coming out the off /on switches in the handle. Dangerous as it was right near my eye. I didn't have much besides a couple of very small scratches, but the sound of the small explosion was enough to make both of my ears ring and one feel congested until the next day.
I bought this 2 pack sponges around april 2025, I used the firs one and it was fne then this week i went to use the other sponge and i went to squize it and it poked my hand. so this concerned me. I did contact walmart and they just said to throw away, But i'm worred this could be in more of the products.
Showing 8 of 11 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to bath or facial cleansing brushes on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are bath or facial cleansing brushes?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, bath or facial cleansing brushes have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 310 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from bath or facial cleansing brushes?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 591 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from bath or facial cleansing brushes increasing or decreasing?
Up 32% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for bath or facial cleansing brushes injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 997 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by bath or facial cleansing brushes?
Of all ER visits involving bath or facial cleansing brushes, approximately 0.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with bath or facial cleansing brushes?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Personal Care & Safety Products
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.