Red may be the hottest color to dress your lips in this season, but before you apply another coat, you may want to consider the findings of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. A recent study by the group uncovered “surprisingly high” levels of lead contamination in red lipstick, and price had nothing to do with it–from bargain brands to high-end lines, the toxin was detected as an ingredient.
Lead in lippy has, until now, been regarded as an urban myth, but the independent laboratories that tested 33 brand-name lipsticks found that 61% had detectable levels of the harmful stuff. And 1/3 of those surpassed levels that the FDA allows for candy ( there are currently no regulations for lipstick). Some of the higher levels were found in L’Oreal, Cover Girl and Christian Dior.
The upside of all this, as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says, is that it’s possible to make lipstick without the health-damaging component as evidence by the fact that 39% of the samples had no detectable levels of the neurotoxin. Drugstore fave Revlon was included in this safe list.
Lead, which is a hot news topic lately, can lower IQ, cause aggression problems and endanger fetuses. According to Dr. Mark Mitchell, the president Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, there “is no safe level of lead exposure.”
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the beauty industry to remove lead from their makeup formulas and demand that all suppliers guarantee lead-free ingredients.
In response to the study, L’Oreal told ABC News, that their products meet FDA requirements (again, the FDA does not regulate lead levels in lipstick) and that safety is a high priority for the company. Similarly, Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Cover Girl, say their makeup is subject to stringent safety testing. LVMH, who produced Dior, deny using lead in their lipstick, saying “trace amounts” of “harmless” lead exist in natural pigments.
Yikes!
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First, kids dying from lead in toys. Now, they find high levels of lead in lipsticks. What’s next – lead in food? Are women going to start dying now too from using lipstick too much?
Freaky!