Every morning, you apply your favorite shade of lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm. Immediately after eating lunch, you reach for your lipstick again to refresh the color. Of course, you absolutely must apply a desirable shade to your lips when going out for dinner. If you can relate to this scenario, you’re not alone. According to Statista, more than 120 million American women used lipstick and lip gloss in 2017.
Alarmingly, the United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA, doesn’t require ingredients to be tested or approved for human safety before they’re put into your cosmetics. As a result, you might be compromising your health to achieve the perfect red pout.
In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics completed a research study referred to as “A Poison Kiss.” The study analyzed 33 lipsticks. Astonishingly, a whopping 61 percent of them contained lead, a neurotoxin that can be hazardous even in tiny doses. Ingesting lead can result in learning, language, and behavioral problems.
Medical experts claim no safe level of lead in the blood exists. Spurred on by both consumers and the cosmetics industry, the FDA studied the lead content in lip products. Their results were even more troubling than those in the “A Poison Kiss” study. All 400 of the lipsticks the agency tested contained lead.
After the study, the FDA stated, “We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern.”
Nevertheless, the government agency went on to add, “Although we do not believe that the lead content found in our recent lipstick analyses poses a safety concern, we are 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.”
Unfortunately, the FDA study didn’t consider cumulative exposure and the potential long-term health risks of using lead laced lipsticks. According to a University of California study, your health may be affected if you’re one of the many Americans who apply lipstick two to 14 times each day. If you reach for your lipstick multiple times a day, you may be ingesting and absorbing through your lips as much as 87 milligrams of product every day.
Researchers at the University of California also found nine heavy toxic metals present in the eight lipsticks and 24 lip glosses they tested. Besides lead, aluminum, chromium, cadmium, and manganese were detected.
The United States Public Interest Research Group, PIRG, Education Fund issued a consumer handbook aptly named “Kiss Off” on February 13, 2018. The document lists lip balms, lipsticks, and kids’ lip products as products which consist of ingredients associated with serious health issues.
Researchers at the U.S. PIRG Education Fund created the guide by analyzing the ingredients listed for many common lip products and cross-referencing them with peer reviewed studies and cosmetic chemical databases.
The guide contains numerous, popular lip products that contain potentially dangerous chemicals such as parabens and fragrance/parfum. The researchers recommended that consumers avoid both L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Shine Lipstick in Dazzling Doe and Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm because they contain fragrance. Using lip products containing fragrance might lead to the development of cancer, allergies, reproductive issues, and respiratory problems.
The guide also warned readers about ChapStick Classic Original lip balm. This particular product was found to have both propylparaben and methylparaben. The health conditions associated with these substances include skin cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive toxicity.
The U.S. PIRG Education Fund study revealed many manufacturers have eliminated lead from their lip products since the troubling FDA findings in 2010. However, because lead is a contaminant present in the pigments and base materials utilized to make lip products instead of a deliberately added ingredient, it’s not listed on the ingredients list. Therefore, finding out if your favorite lip product contains lead might be difficult, if not impossible.
If you’re worried about the possible negative effects of commercial lip product usage, consider cutting back. Even better, think about making your own lip products at home. For instance, you can create a moisturizing lip balm with the three simple ingredients of coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter.
~ Health Scams Exposed
