Kiss of Death: Top 400 Lipsticks Containg Lead

Your favorite shade of lipstick may contain lead, according to a recently updated test of lipstick by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency found that 400 popular lipsticks contained trace amounts of the toxin.

The worst offenders on the list were Maybelline’s Color Sensation in Pink Petal, which had 7.19 parts per million of lead, and L’Oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic, which had 7 parts per million. Several other brands, including Cover Girl and Nars had products hovering in the 4-to-5-parts-per-million range. (The average lead concentration found across the 400 lipsticks was 1.11 parts per million.)

Reports about lead in lipstick are not new. In the 1990s, reports of analytical results from a commercial testing laboratory suggested that traces of lead in lipstick might be of concern. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), in October 2007, reported finding lead in a selection of lipsticks on the market. Because reports about lead in lipstick have surfaced periodically and because of the time that had elapsed since we last examined information on lipsticks in the marketplace, FDA decided that further follow-up was needed.

The expanded survey found that the average lead concentration in the 400 lipsticks tested was 1.11 ppm, very close to the average of 1.07 ppm obtained in our initial survey. The results ranged from the detection limit of 0.026 ppm to the highest value of 7.19 ppm. The expanded survey will be published in the May/June, 2012, issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science.

FDA regulates cosmetic safety under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The FD&C Act requires that cosmetics marketed in interstate commerce be safe when used as directed in the labeling or under customary conditions of use. Cosmetics are not subject to pre-market approval by FDA. However, pre-market approval is required for the color additives used in cosmetics (including those in lipsticks), with the exception of coal-tar hair dyes.

FDA has not set limits for lead in cosmetics. FDA has set specifications for lead in color additives used in cosmetics. FDA approval of color additives is based on safety evaluations that consider the color additives’ intended uses and estimated consumer exposure resulting from those uses.

Although the FDA does not believe that the lead in lipstick poses a safety concern, it noted on its website that it is “evaluating whether there may be a need to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick in order to further protect the health and welfare of consumers.”

Exposure to lead can cause learning, language and behavioral problems in children and has been linked to lower IQ; exposure in pregnant women can interfere with development of the fetus.

What if a study finds known deadly poisons such as arsenic and cyanide in lipstick, lotion, or facewash? Would the FDA still dare to say its not unsafe because it is not consumed?

Actually, lipstick IS consumed. Imagine the # of lbs of lipstick a woman consumes over the course of her life. It’s scary. However, there are some all natural, safer, organic brands out there.

FDA Analyses of Lead in Lipsticks – Initial Survey

The following results for lead content in a selection of lipsticks were obtained by scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and reported in the Journal of Cosmetic Science. FDA purchased lipsticks from retail stores between October and December 2007.

a Lipsticks selected are 20 of the same brands and shades analyzed by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (https://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=32711)
b Lot numbers embossed or printed on lipstick cases or end labels.
c Results are for total lead content determined by FDA’s validated method [Reference 1].
d Reported in units of µg Pb/g in Reference 1.
e Combination of several lots.
f Result not used for determining average value of lead content by FDA’s validated method.
g No shade number on lipstick.
h No lot number on lipstick.

FDA Analyses of Lead in Lipsticks – Expanded Survey

The following results for lead content in 400 lipsticks were obtained by Frontier Global Sciences, Inc., under a contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The lipsticks were purchased from retail stores between February and July 2010.