[coldtea]

>They're (meant to be) used for applying and removing makeup

There are specialty items mostly commonly used for the latter (cotton pads), and I'm not sure the reason almost every household has cotton swabs in their bathroom for fringe activities like: "taking samples of fluids for medical purposes (e.g. DNA swab), cleaning small items such as jewelry or electronics, applying glue in arts and crafts".

That leaves "applying makeup" as the other main use.

[triceratops]

I didn't say most households were using them for their intended uses. And I'm not trying to convince you to change course.

[lisptw102019]

(Yeah, I use them in my ears too).

Cotton swabs aren't as precise as a Q-Tip for some types of cleaning/detailing.