Is Your Lipstick Killer In More Ways Than One?

I have sensitive skin, so years ago I did an overhaul of my beauty products by getting rid of anything that was not hypoallergenic or pure and natural.  I continued to use up the body products I already had, though, keeping them away from my sensitive face and decollete.  As you can see in my “extra makeup” basket above, I was sticking with Almay and Physicians’ Formula and Burt’s Bees and natural makeup as much as possible.  I figured I could still use whatever lipstick I wanted because my lips never broke out in a rash.

Then my husband alerted me that someone told him there was lead in lipstick.  And recently on Facebook and Instagram, friends spoke up about it.

So I did a spring cleaning of my lipsticks and threw out about 60% of them.  Then I went online to find out what lipsticks had lead and which ones didn’t.  I’m sharing my list with you (in three parts below).

My thinking is that age doesn’t matter.  Whenever you start to improve your lifestyle, by becoming vigilant about the purity of your cosmetics or whatever, you can improve your health.  You can get better and better all the time.

The Issue of Lead in Lipsticks

I found that the subject of lead in lipsticks is a very old, ongoing issue because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t done a thing about it since the public became fearful in 2003.  The FDA finally decided to “suggest” a limit on lead levels in cosmetics marketed in the United States.  You can see the report from CNN on December 23, 2016, here:  “FDA Suggests Limit on Lead in Lipstick and Other Cosmetics” by Susan Scutti.

In my opinion, lead is unacceptable to put on our lips or bodies in any way.  So my limit would be zero.  What about you?

On their website, the FDA says “Lead occurs naturally in the environment, and its occurrence, as an impurity, in cosmetic products can’t be avoided…Based on our surveys we determined that manufacturers are capable of limiting lead content in cosmetic products to 10 ppm (parts per million) or less if they are careful about selecting their ingredients and follow good manufacturing practices.”

Snopes, a fact-checking website, tried to calm the public in 2003 regarding the rumor that “Several major brands of lipstick contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing lead which can be detected with a gold ring.”  Their conclusion was that this is false.  They said that their tests showed that lead cannot be detected by using gold or any other metal because “The streaks that supposedly herald the presence of lead in one’s lipstick are in reality dark marks produced by the testing agents themselves.”  They spoke with a compliance officer at the FDA and concluded:

“The bottom line is that U.S. medical literature has yet to record a single case of anyone’s coming down with lead poisoning through lipstick use. (And, in any case, contrary to what is claimed in the alarming e-mail quoted above, contracting cancer is not one of the recorded adverse health effects one is likely to suffer through excessive exposure to lead.)

Of course, all of this information applies to lipstick legally produced and sold in the U.S. When it comes to unauthorized imports and counterfeit cosmetics that evade the scrutiny of government regulatory agencies, all bets are off.” — by Barbara “lip service” Mikkelson

I do not trust the report by Snopes because 1) they got their information from the FDA, and 2) who is Barbara “lip service” Mikkelson?

In a Reader’s Digest article, “The Toxic Chemical Lurking in Your Favorite Lipstick” by Kaitlyn Chamberlin, the author reports that “The Food and Drug Administration and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics began researching lead in lipstick around 2007: They found that 61 percent of 33 popular lipstick brands tested positive for lead. An expanded 2010 study by the FDA found lead in over 400 different lipsticks. Researchers at the University of California discovered that lead isn’t the only thing to be wary of: They found toxic metals like chromium, aluminum, and manganese can also turn up in beauty products.”

Since the FDA is doing nothing to protect the public from lead in cosmetics, it’s up to us to research products ourselves and demand that our government protect our pubic health totally, not just within certain limits!  The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics seems like a good place to start.

How to Find Lead-Free Lipsticks

Here’s a list of lipsticks that were said to be lead-free.  It’s safer to buy lipsticks from the health food store or from the following companies.  But before buying, check with the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database collected from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).  They have certified a number of cosmetics as safe, and collected data on most others showing ingredients and what risks they pose.

Lip balms and glosses without color do not contain lead.  The pigments seem to be the problem, especially red.  In addition to the following recommendations, LipSense also makes lead-free lipstick and does not test on animals.  It contains SPF and is long-lasting.  You need to find a representative who sells it, though.  For a full review of LipSense, click on the caption below.

At Get Green Be Well, blogger Kimberly Button posted a list of “10 Lead-Free Lipsticks for Kissing” on March 27, 2018.  They are:

1. Gabriel Cosmetics Lipsticks
2. Zuzu Luxe
3. Mineral Fusion
4. 100% Pure
5. Lavera
6. NVEY Eco
7. Real Purity
8. Ilia
9. RMS Beauty
10. Afterglow Cosmetics

In addition, Cruelty-Free Kitty posted “7 Cruelty-Free Lipstick Brands That Are Completely Lead-Free” by Suzi Scheler last year.  Ilia lipstick is recommended by both of these blog posts.  Here is Suzi’s list:

1. Ilia
2. W3LL PEOPLE
3. Bite Beauty
4. Vapour
5. Red Apple Lipstick
6. 100% Pure
7. Nudus

And here are a few lead-free lipsticks recommended by Good Housekeeping in “11 Lead-Free Lipsticks for Safer Kisses” way back in 2007 when this issue was becoming widely known.  I skipped the lipsticks on their list that have been discontinued, but I was able to find links to the following:

1. Avon Ultra Color Rich in Cherry Jubilee
2. Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Merlot
3. Dior Replenishing Lipcolor in Red Premiere
4. MAC Matte Lipstick in Viva Glam 1
5. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Love That Red
6. Wet N Wild Mega Colors in Cherry Blossom

The Top 20 Lipsticks With the Most Lead

Before Valentine’s Day, CBS News posted a slideshow online called “Poisonous Puckers?  Top 10 Lead-Filled Lipsticks.”  In addition, the FDA named those same ten in their list of the 20 lipsticks that were found to contain the most lead.  Here are the top 20:

Was this helpful to you?  Do you know of lead-free lipsticks to recommend to us?  Let us know in the comments below!

Like this post?  You might also want to read:  “Do You Want to Know the Truth About Your Food?“

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