Manicure, Pedicure, And Make-up Brushes/tools
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 1659
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Manicure, Pedicure, And Make-up Brushes/tools carry a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 19,237 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 40/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 19,237
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 4.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1659 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 40/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume19,237 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)4.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+3%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Manicure, Pedicure, And Make-up Brushes/tools (CPSC product code 1659, in the Personal Care & Safety Products category) generate an estimated 19,237 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 384,734 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 40/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (30,891 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2006 (8,678 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools is other to the toe, accounting for approximately 95,549 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the finger (57,687 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 51,752 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 4.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 17 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools 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 | 25,436 | 25,662 | |
| 5-14 | 10,938 | 12,638 | |
| 15-24 | 16,778 | 28,351 | |
| 25-34 | 19,261 | 32,491 | |
| 35-44 | 16,626 | 27,327 | |
| 45-54 | 20,354 | 24,624 | |
| 55-64 | 21,964 | 22,485 | |
| 65-74 | 17,306 | 17,592 | |
| 75+ | 22,945 | 21,780 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Toe | Other | |
| Finger | Other | |
| Toe | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Toe | Avulsion | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Foot | Other | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Ear | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
80YOF PRESENTS TO ED FOR NAIL PROBLEM. PT HAD DM, ISSUES W/ TOENAILS, DAUGHTER CUTTING TOENAILS, RT FIFTH TOENAIL GROWING INTO SKIN, UNFORTUNATELY WHEN CUT IT CAUSED WOUND AND SOME BLEEDING. CONCERNED BECAUSE OF DM SO CAME TO ED. UPON EXAM FOUND SMALL C-SHAPED AREA ON TIP OF RT FIFTH PINKY TOE THAT IS LESS TAHN CENTIMETER W/ SCANT AMOUNT OF BLOOD. DX: OPEN WOUND OF TOE
11YOF PRESENTS AFTER *** BROKE OFF IN HER EAR WHILE SHE WAS CLEANING HER EARS, MOTHER REPORTS SHE TRIED TO REMOVE WITH TWEEZERS BUT MOVED IT FURTHER INTO EAR. DX: ACUTE FOREIGN BODY OF LEFT EAR
55 YOF CUT TOENAIL TOO SHORT WITH CLIPPER DX: LAC TOE
58YOF PRESENT TO ED W/ R GREAT TOE PX.PT WAS CLIPPING HER TOENAILS2WK AGO ACCIDENTALLLY NICKED HER TOE.HAS MILD DISCOMFORT IN AREA WHEN SHE PUSHES ON IT OR SHE ACTUALLY KICKED SOMETHING.PCP GOT XR HAS C/F OSTEOMYELITIS SENT TO EDDX:OSTEOMYELITIS OF R FOOT
16 MOF MOTHER WAS CLIPPING NAILS AND INJURED FINGER DX ABRASION FINGER
25 YOF-HAD A MANICURE-THE INDEX FINGER CUTICLE GOT CUT-BECAME INFECTED DX: RIGHT INDEX FINGER PARONYCHIA
31 YOM WITH RIGHT TOE PAIN X 4 DAYS AFTER CUTTING HIS TOENAILS. DX CELLULITIS TOE RIGHT FOOT
32 YOM WITH LEFT 4TH DIGIT PAIN X 3 DAYS AFTER DOING A MANICURE. DX ONYCHIA AND PARONYCHIA
2YOM PT HAD TOENAILS CLIPPED ON LEFT GREAT TOE. C/O AREA BEING SWOLLEN & ERYTHEMATOUS DX: PARONYCHIA
67YOM PT WAS ATTEMPTING TO CUT TOENAILS & CUT NAIL CAUSING A LAC NO DX
36YOM WITH INGROWN TOENAIL AND TRIED TO CUT IT TODAY AND DEVELOPED SOME BLEEDING AND PAIN DX: INGROWN TOENAIL OF LEFT FOOT
29YOF WITH PAIN TO HEEL S.P RECENT PEDICURE. PT STATES THEY SHAVED DOWN THE CALLUSES ON HER HEELS DX: CELLULITIS
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Spinning pedicure left black file shards embedded in users skin on foot.
Using this device to trim my disabled wife's thumb nail. It pulled-in her skin round the cutter. Could not separate it from her thumb. Had to dismantle the device to release her skin. This resulted in a bad laceration to the top of her thumb and lots of pain and blood. The drive mechanism had then broken under the strain. Pictures available ...
I was using the StarPro 36 Watt UV Nail Dryer in the salon I work at to dry the shallac on the nail. I noticed the light was flickering so I went to shut the machine off and it made a very loud pop and blew flames out the vent in the back. Then black smoke started to roll out and it smelled like burnt plastic. I immediately unplugged the light from the outlet and blew on the flame trying to put it out. Once the fame was out and the machine cool I pulled out the fuse to see what it looked like and I realized that the fuse never even blew. I then called the manufacturer and told them what happened. They did not seem all that comcerned but said if I would mail it back to them they would mail me a new one as soon as I called them with a tracking number. So I did. I called them today and was informed that they don't have any in and won't until after the Sept 7th. I am concerned that they know there is a problem but are not being honest and upfront about it. I do not want anyone else experienceing this problem and possibly getting burnt. I was just lucky.
I purchased a Homedics Nail spa kit that included a power adapter. This same adapter power cord covering began to crumble with only a few years of use. I disposed of the power adapter due to the covering no longer protecting the wiring. I believe this same power adapter could pose a risk of shock with continued use because of the lack of wire covering.
The item is a pair of baby nail clippers. The piece that holds the handle to the clippers broke off whilst clipping my 3 month old son's nails. It flung off mid-cut and flew across the room, hitting the opposite wall. If it had flown any other direction, it could have hit either my son, or myself in the eye, or face. It is very dangerous!
Dr. Scholl's Hard Skin Remover Nano Glass Foot File is a file made with glass to remove dead skin from your feet. The glass panel on mine fell out while I was using it in the shower. The glass was not properly secured in the handle.
I used this product to clean my baby's nail as advertised. It made my baby finger to bleed and cut through his skin. The plastic tip is really hard and sharp and should not be used for baby at all. I was holding him firm and he just wiggled a little bit, the sharp tip made him bleed immediately. Its very dangerous and can hurt children. I strongly believe this product should not targeting to use on baby.
eBay Product Information Item Number: 371410160526 04/12/2016 - The consumer was painting her nails and when it was time to cure them, she turned the curing lamp on to no avail. A couple of seconds later, the unit starting sparking and smoking and eventually caught fire. The consumer immediately unplugged the unit and placed it on her tile floor; this ceased the fire. The unit continued to smoke afterwards and it sparked a few times. The consumer indicates that unit has a fuse in the back that never blew up. The consumer states that her home smelled of electrical burning afterwards. The consumer contacted her Fire Department but they did not come out as the fire had been set out already. The consumer indicates that prior to the incident, the unit was used only once and it worked perfectly fine. The consumer plans on keeping the unit for at least the next thirty days in case an investigation ensues.
Showing 8 of 17 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools have a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 19,237 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools?
The most common injury is other to the toe, accounting for approximately 95,549 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 51,752 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools?
Of all ER visits involving manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools, approximately 4.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (95.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with manicure, pedicure, and make-up brushes/tools?
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 40/100 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 25-34 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.
