You Might Want To Rethink That Red Lipstick, It May Contain Lead
(Note: I have no idea what brand of lipstick Christina, Gwen, or Dita use, I just chose them because in these photos their lipstick color is red.)
The FDA today said they would look into claims from an advocacy group that says certain shades of red lipstick made in the USA have potentially harmful levels of lead:
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said that a third of the 33 red lipsticks examined by an independent lab contained a level of lead exceeding 0.1 parts per million — which is the FDA’s limit for lead in candy. The FDA does not set a limit for lead in lipstick.
The organization commissioning the lipstick study says its goal is to pressure companies to remove toxic chemicals from their products and replace them with safer alternatives. The lead tests were conducted by an independent laboratory last month on red lipsticks bought in Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Hartford, Conn., the organization said.
According to the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics:
More than half of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested (61 percent) contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). None of these lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient.
One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy – a standard established to protect children from directly ingesting lead. Lipstick products, like candy, are directly ingested into the body. Nevertheless, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick, which fits with the disturbing absence of FDA regulatory oversight and enforcement capacity for the $50 billion personal care products industry. […]Among the top brands testing positive for lead were:
-L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red” – 0.65 ppm
-L’Oreal Colour Riche “Classic Wine” – 0.58 ppm
-Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red” – 0.56 ppm
-Dior Addict “Positive Red” – 0.21 ppm
Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning disabilities in children, can be the cause of lowered IQ and language problems, and can also cause behavioral problems such as increased aggression. Small children and pregnant women are most at risk; lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain. It also has been linked to infertility and miscarriage.
While there is a certain amount of lead naturally present in some ingredients used to make lipsticks, most in the cosmetic industry say it is not intentionally added. And a group representing the cosmetic industry says that the amount of lead present in makeup is negligible, anyway:
The trade association representing the cosmetic industry acknowledged “negligible” levels of lead in some lipsticks, but said it is not intentionally added.
“Consumers are exposed daily to lead when they eat, drink water and breathe the air,” said John Bailey, an executive vice president at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. “The average amount of lead a woman would be exposed to when using cosmetics is 1,000 times less than the amount she would get from eating, breathing, and drinking water that meets Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards.”
Does it never end? Our pets are poisoned, our fruits and vegetables are tainted, the toys we buy our preschoolers are toxic, and now we can’t wear lipstick without worrying that we’re endangering our health. I don’t wear red red lipstick, but it’s worrisome just the same. Most lip colors are just some shade of red, anyway…pink, brown, violet, coral, all shades of red. I don’t think there is a need to get hysterical about this, but it should make us stop and think about the products we use on our faces and bodies, and perhaps push for them to be more stringently regulated.
A historical note: Some scholars say that Queen Elizabeth I was slowly poisoned by the lead in her makeup, called ceruse…a mixture of white lead and vinegar. We have come a long way since Elizabethan times….I think.
You can download the entire report including names of all test subjects and their performance here.
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