Get the lead out—of lipstick

Last week the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics published A Poison Kiss: The problem of lead in lipstick. According to the report, the average woman eats four pounds of lipstick in her life, and some of that lipstick may be very high in lead. For example, LʹOreal's "Colour Riche True Red", which tested the highest of the 33 lipsticks that the campaign sent to an independent testing lab, had 0.65 parts per million of lead in it. At the other end of the spectrum, 13 of the tested lipsticks had no detectable lead in them.

Most people assume that the FDA, EPA, or some other alphabet soup agency, regulates and tests cosmetics, but that assumption is plain wrong. FDA has authority over some coloring agents used in cosmetics, but beyond that, they have very limited authority over the cosmetics' industry. They have never set a limit for lead in lipstick or other cosmetics, yet numerous studies point out that there is no safe level of lead.

The report's findings include:

Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression.

Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to
lead exposure because lead easily crosses the placenta and may enter the fetal brain, where it interferes with normal development.

Lead has also been linked to miscarriage, reduced fertility in both men and women, hormonal changes, menstrual irregularities and delays in the onset of puberty.

Lead builds up in the body over time and lead‐containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, combined with lead in water and other sources, could add up to significant exposure levels.

A 2004 survey of cosmetics use by 5,856 U.S. girls aged 7 to 19 found that 63 percent of the girls aged 10 and younger reported using lipstick.

Check out the report, and let the manufacturers of cosmetics you use know that you don't want toxins in your beauty products!