Lead in Your Lipstick
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (who knew?) reports that lipsticks by popular makers ranging from Cover Girl to L’Oreal to Christian Dior all contain lead, the inclusion of which is not regulated by the FDA. So what does this mean for you?
Well, we all know that while the lipstick is supposed to stay on the lips, that’s not always the case - ingesting some is a given. And according to the CSC people, scientific evidence suggests that no level of lead is completely safe.
So what’s the alternative? Our friends at Shefinds.com have done some legwork, suggesting a handful of lead-free options—you’ll notice that almost all have the word “organic” in the name, but, I need to remind you that not all “natural” or organic lipsticks are lead-free (a lipstick by Burt’s Bees is on the “lead” list!). You should know, too, that lead isn’t an actual ingredient (it shows up either as part of a colorant used, or a by-product of processing) and so won’t be listed on any labels.
What can you do? The Campaign for Safer Cosmetics folks are asking that you send a letter to L’Oreal, the culprit with the highest lead levels. Find out more by clicking here.
~Angela
| Posted by The Budget Fashionista
Budget Beauty Product: Olive Oil
Armada Face and Body Shield 60
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Member Comments
There is more lead in the air you breathe than in a lipstick. It is a VERY minute amount…a natural amount exists in nature. This is nothing to get in a fuss about…it’s just more media hype. Seriously folks, don’t worry about this one. You can contact Estee Lauder Corp. for more information. Check it out.
L’Oreal also continues to test on animals most of us consider pets. Even though very successful competitors such as Revlon and Estee Lauder discontinued the practice long ago as unnecessary for human safety and to meet international regulations. I had a correspondence with their social responsibility manager and she was unapologetic saying it was necessary until they could replicate skin tissue (or a substitute) in the lab. Huh?! More than a little ironic this lead thing…think the evidence has been long standing there too.
Wow! That’s some seriously scary information! Absorbing 5 LBS! of chemicals in just one year!! Glad to see Revlon is okay (now-former L’oreal user).
I don’t worry too much about lead in my lipstick. But thanks for this Angela. It is important to know what we put onto as well as into our bodies. Here’s another interesting site, if you have questions or concerns about the content of your makeup or skin products: The Green Guide from National Geographic (surprise!) which has extensive product reports on all kinds of consumer and personal care items http://www.thegreenguide.com/reports/. The site lists its “dirty dozenâ€? bad actors in terms of chemicals to avoid in your skin care and other products.
The Green Guide list of acceptable products isn’t very complete, but the site helpfully refers one to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics site, which is linked above. CFSC lists all of the companies that have signed a pledge to refrain from manufacturing and marketing products that “are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects in their products and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve.� I found it interesting that none of the big cosmetic companies have signed this pledge.