Most Lipsticks Contain Lead, Study Finds

By Mitch Lipka

Feb 13 (Reuters) - If you're going to be on either end of a kiss this Valentine's Day, you might want to consider smooching bare-lipped. Most lipstick contains lead.

Lead has been banned in paint since 1978 because of its toxicity at low levels, but it still shows up in small amounts in some of the best-selling lipstick brands.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which did an analysis of a study of lead in lipstick conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, wants consumers to know that most of the 400 different lipsticks tested were positive for the substance ().

"Recognizing that there is no safe level of lead exposure, we need to be protecting women and children from all levels of exposure," said Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the campaign -- a non-profit coalition of environmental- and cancer-prevention groups.

Malkan's group wants the FDA to set a limit for how much lead lipstick can contain and to study whether there are any dangers to having the substance applied to human lips, particularly the lips of children and pregnant women. "We know that ingestion of lipstick happens. It gets into our bodies," she said, noting that lead accumulates in people.

The group said that five of the nine lipstick brands with the most lead are sold by L'Oreal, the world's largest comestics maker.

L'Oreal's "Color Sensational" Pink Petal had the most lead of any lipstick tested at 7.19 parts per million. By comparison, children's products sold in the U.S. are forbidden to have more than 100 parts per million of lead.

"The FDA's independent study, which will be published in the May/June 2012 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, confirms that lipsticks pose no safety concerns for the millions of women who use them daily," L'Oreal said in a statement sent to Reuters. "The lead levels detected by the FDA in the study are also within the limits recommended by global public health authorities for cosmetics, including lipstick."

The FDA, for its part, agreed there is no cause for alarm.

"The FDA did not find high levels of lead in lipstick," FDA spokeswoman Tamara Ward said. "We developed and tested a method for measuring lead in lipstick and did not find levels that would raise health concerns."

Still, Malkan said the government should take some more steps to ensure the safety of those who use lipstick. An advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken a position that there is no safe level of lead for children. So, why asked Malkan should it be OK for their to be lead in lipstick? And, in particular, for certain brands to have more than others?

"There are no safety standards," Malkan said.

So, if you're still lead conscious, consider how you'll handle your lips and those you'll be sharing them with this Valentine's Day.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[GOVDOESSUX]

09:32 PM on 02/16/2012

HMMMMMMMMMM, WHERE THE HELL HAS F.D.A BEEN??????

[mstiedawn]

07:53 PM on 02/16/2012

I have a gluten, eugenol and chromium sensitivity, I went 3 years without wearing lipstick. My lips would blister when exposed. (Gross!) I have to be VERY picky about what I use. Start by looking for gluten free cosmetics because they're developed for people with sensitivities who wouldn't stand for having any undisclosed ingredients... especially lead! It's disgusting to think on what's allowed to be in cosmetics.

[merieve]

11:08 AM on 02/16/2012

none of the "around the web" links work

[FauxBLAsian]

07:46 AM on 02/16/2012

This is really scary. I went on a lip stick binge last year and unfortunately one of the lip sticks I own is at the top of the FDA's list. It will be going into the trash tonight.

[NathaninSeattle]

11:08 PM on 02/17/2012

Oh my goodness. Really? Lead is a natural element, and it is present in everything! This is parts per MILLION! Be real, that's an infinitesimally small level. You would need to EAT thousands of whole lipsticks for half a century for this to be an issue. The degree of scientfic illiteracy in this nation makes me sad.

[FauxBLAsian]

10:45 AM on 02/21/2012

I don't care how many parts per million, lead poisoning is cumulative! So I could use a lip stick with lead, and end up ingesting it elsewhere. People who do not complete a thought before commenting make me sad.

[annegreenwilson]

04:36 AM on 02/16/2012

I read this on positiveluxury.com the other day too - the article talked about the effect of parabenes - although this is an old debate - Parabens have been used as preservatives since the 1920s and are most commonly found in facial and body cosmetics, from moisturisers to foundation. Cheap to produce and hard to avoid, parabens are the most widely used preservative, but recent studies have shown they could have extremely worrying implications. Recent discoveries of parabens in breast tumours has led to speculation on their involvement in cancers, especially since many deodorants contain parabens and most breast tumours start near the armpit. Parabens have also been linked to allergenic conditions, including eczema.

What is really scary is the synthetic fragrances - they are found in many personal care products from lipstick to body spray. Unfortunately its almost impossible to know what the chemical contents are, since the label on the product will often simply read ‘fragrance’. Aside from causing everything from headaches to allergies, dizziness and coughing, it has recently been suggested that that some synthetic musks may even have carcinogenic properties.

for more check out positiveluxury.com

[NathaninSeattle]

11:11 PM on 02/17/2012

Ok. Tumors are mostly composed of water. So why aren't you running chicken little about water? Should we be avoiding water? See how silly it is to run for the hills over this that claim?

[Angelmagik2]

06:51 PM on 02/15/2012

Stacey Malkin for US Drug and Food Administration says there are no safe levels of lead yet the FDA states the lead in lipsticks are within the recommended limits which suggests there must be a safe level. As a consumer we have a right to know what we are ingesting. Topical products placed on the lips will be absorbed very easily into the blood team. Cosmetics label ingredients in small print using terminology the average consumer does not understand. Clearer labelling should be compulsory with a decoding for the function of the ingredients ie what is active its percentage, what is a humectant, preservative, binding ingredient etc. Plus there should be more regulation regarding the language used as the public are mislead with empty promises

[Dee Amschler]

05:56 AM on 02/16/2012

If it's anything like with water limits on many chemicals, "safe" for lead in lipsticks would probably be more accurately stated as "not quite so likely to kill you and definitely not nearly so likely to kill you swiftly and easily".

[Psyleck]

03:29 PM on 02/15/2012

you would absorb more lead through your fingers going fishing for the day than you would get from eating 200 lipsticks. This is irresponsible reporting at it's worse. Start a panic amoungst the ignorant masses for no good reason because you don't have a real story.

[veggieone]

11:00 AM on 02/16/2012

I don't fish but I do wear lipstick, which I would guess you don't.
I'm grateful for the warning and will avoid lipstick with lead.

[tissa]

06:50 PM on 02/16/2012

Its in all of them: MAC, Estee Lauder,Clinique....you name it, it has lead.

[NathaninSeattle]

12:13 AM on 02/22/2012

Hilarious. Everything with mass contains lead. It's a natural element. Every lipstick, every flower, every fruit, every glass of water, every grain of rice, every...

[Disco Lissa]

03:19 PM on 02/15/2012

We have leachate limitations for lead to prevent lead to get into our ground water.
We should have a zero tolerance on lead in cosmetics.
It makes no sense to limit what you can put into the landfills but not on your face!

[SuperMom101]

07:40 AM on 02/15/2012

What's also alarming is that Burt's Bees is owned by Cholorox. In my humble opinion lead limits in our liptick is just another way to get rid of the unwanted chemicals that are a by product of some manufacturing process.

All done with those products listed by the FDA. After I had cancer at age 38, I'm a nut about what I put on my fork and in my mouth...now it's the same for on my lips!

Take Dansai water as another example, my 24 year old niece won't drink it because it has "added minerals". We think it's by products from manufacturing Coca Cola.*

It's so strange, America (and her children) have never been sicker, fatter or more complacent and we can't seem to figure out why.

Best health everyone!

**Coca-Cola ... adds trace amounts of minerals, including magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), potassium chloride and table salt (sodium chloride).

[QuestWest]

10:31 PM on 02/14/2012

Lead. So we don't put it on our walls anymore; we put it on lips. Not a commercial here, but appreciate the efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to test and inform the public. You manufacturers whose lipsticks contain lead - here's a new color for you: PbPink. Pay no attention to that dull grayish color when exposed to air.

[princeperry]

03:02 PM on 02/14/2012

Good to know. Now I can tell my husband, there is no need for alarm. I've only bee kissing you lead tainted lipstick.