Actually, we’ve known this for years at Oaktree Wellness Center, mainly because it’s our business to help patients remove lead from their body and help keep them as lead free as possible. But sadly so, since there are no federal regulations on personal care products, just about anything can end up in lipstick. But lead?!
The biggest culprits? The top 10 contaminated lipsticks came from Maybelline and L’Oreal, as did 2 from Cover Girl, 2 from NARS and 1 Stargazer. (This is not a complete list – there are many more.)
There seems to be argument as to how much lead is okay to have in lipstick (that’s easily absorbed through your skin and into your body), but the answer SHOULD be no lead at all. It’s already been determined that there are NO safe levels of lead in the body, so why should there be acceptable levels in our cosmetics and personal products? Lead builds up in the body over time, so each time you apply a new coat of lipstick, you’re dumping chemicals into it. And you spread the lead around when you kiss your partner. Yuck!
The FDA has stated on its own website, “It is not scientifically valid to equate the risk to consumers presented by lead levels in candy, a product intended for ingestion, with that associated with lead levels in lipstick, a product intended for topical use and ingested in much smaller quantities than candy.”
I guess they don’t understand that the skin absorbs everything, including lead, sending it into the bloodstream and liver, so in fact, the risk is exactly the same.
Does this mean you have to go without colorfully shaded lips? Not at all. From The Daily Green, here are 11 safe alternatives to keep your lips colorful with no lead added.
The Daily Green Safe Lipstick List
