Study: Many Popular Lipsticks Contain High Levels of Lead

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has just released the results of a study revealing that several top-selling lipsticks are contaminated with lead. In "Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipsticks," the organization reports that more than half of the 33 lipsticks tested had measurable and potentially hazardous levels of lead.

This is a particular problem because lipstick is applied to the lips and therefore may be ingested. In fact, Glamour magazine (June, 2002) indicated that over the course of her lifetime, a woman may ingest upwards of four pounds of lipstick. Because lead is a compound that accumulates in the body over a lifetime, trace amounts over time can become hazardous.

The US Food and Drug administration has set a safe lead level for candy (also ingestible) to be 0.1 parts per million. The lipstick brand containing the greatest concentration of lead measured 0.65 parts per million.

Of the 33 brands the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested, 13 were found to have levels that were not detectable. Another 9 lipsticks contained levels that were detectable, but were below the 0.1 parts per million standard that candy is held to. Eleven lipstick brands contained lead concentrations greater than the 0.1 parts per million standard. It is important to note that they also found a lot of variation among samples and the reported concentrations represent averages; therefore, a consumer could be receiving either more or less lead in their lipstick than the value in the report.

Ingestion of lead has been linked to neural problems resulting in behavioral and learning difficulties. Children are vulnerable because they are still developing. Pregnant women are vulnerable because lead can pass through the placenta and affect the development of their unborn babies. Lead exposure has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage.

Some of the biggest offenders are from the large cosmetic companies L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Cover Girl. Some of the 'cleanest' lipstick brands were the cheapest (Avon, Revlon), while some of the most contaminated were the most expensive (Dior), suggesting that pricey brands are not necessarily more safe.

These lipsticks are not subject to a recall because the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate lead in these products. Because many of the lipsticks tested had low or no discernable amounts of lead in them, it is possible to make lead-free lipstick. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is urging lipstick manufacturers to reformulate their products to contain no lead.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, "Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipsticks", Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.