Is There Lead in Your Lipstick?

It's not just toys from China that contain lead. Believe it or not, it may be in your lipstick! Most women wear lipstick daily, and have never given a thought to whether it could poison them. More than half of 33 brand name lipsticks tested had detectable levels of lead. None of the lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient, but the levels ranged from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had an independent laboratory test red lipsticks. One third of the lipsticks tested exceeded the U. S. Food and Drug Administration's 0.1 parts per million limit for lead in candy. Lipstick is ingested directly into the body, just like food, but there is no limit set by the FDA for lead in lipstick. Studies show that there is no safe level of lead. Applying lipstick several times a day, almost everyday, exposes women to significant risks. While licking our lips, eating and drinking, or even kissing, we can be exposed to the lead in lipstick. An often quoted statistic reports that women inadvertently eat about 4 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime.

Lead is a known neurotoxin, and it can cause speech problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral disturbances. It can interfere with child development and possibly cause miscarriage and infertility. A frightening fact is that lead does not break down in the body, but rather accumulates over time. It can increase aggression, cause anemia, seizures, and brain damage, as well as damage to the kidneys. Both male and female fertility is affected by lead, and it has even been linked to a delay in the onset of puberty. This is significant because many younger girls like to wear lipstick.

Stacy Malkan, author of the new book, "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry" states, "The cosmetics industry needs to clean up its act and remove lead and other toxic ingredients from their products...Companies should act immediately to reformulate lead-containing products." The cosmetic industry refutes this information by saying that their products are safe.