 Women are being warned that some lipsticks could contain lead. The warnings come in the wake of a U.S. ruling that a class action suit can proceed against luxury goods giant LVMH, the manufacturer of Dior Addict Positive Red lipstick, which has been found to contain lead.
The lipstick was among dozens of lipsticks found to contain lead when the U.S. group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test lead levels in 33 brand-name lipsticks.
Sixty-one percent of the lipsticks tested had detectable lead levels. One-third of the lipsticks exceeded accepted U.S. levels of lead for products that are ingested. The Dior lipstick was found to contain more than twice as much lead as is allowed.
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Dr. Mercola's Comments: |
Last year it was revealed that many lipsticks sold in the United States contain lead. And these were not off brands from a discount store, either.
More than half (61 percent) of 33 name-brand lipsticks tested in September 2007 contained lead levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). And one-third of them had more lead than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy.
It may sound shocking, but the FDA has not set a lead limit for cosmetics, including lipstick!
Yes, you put it directly on your lips. And yes, you ingest it when you wear it (the average women ingests 10 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime). But it can contain as much lead as the manufacturers see fit, and it doesn’t have to say so on the label.
Among the U.S. lipsticks with the highest lead levels were:
- L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red” –- 0.65 ppm
- L’Oreal Colour Riche “Classic Wine” –- 0.58 ppm
- Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red” –- 0.56 ppm
- Dior Addict “Positive Red” –- 0.21 ppm
I think names like “Toxic Red” or “Maximum Lead Red” would be more fitting, don’t you?
The issue has surfaced again in the media because it was recently ruled that a class-action lawsuit against LVMH, the manufacturer of Dior Addict Positive Red lipstick, can proceed.
It will be interesting to see how the case turns out, considering that …
It’s Not Illegal for Lead to be in Your Lipstick
I’m not one for increased government intervention, but come on.
What exactly is the point of having a “Food and Drug Administration” if they are not going to make sure that toxic substances are kept out of the products you put on your lips or slather all over your body?
And when it comes to toxins, lead is certainly at the top of the list.
Studies have found that there is no safe level of lead, and since it does not break down in your body you will accumulate it for a lifetime. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which conducted the lipstick study last year:
“Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems. Lead is also linked to infertility and miscarriage. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to exposure because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain, where it interferes with normal development.”
Lead in your lipstick may come from one of two places: colorants, which may contain lead, or as byproducts from ingredients obtained from raw materials like petrolatum, mineral oil and paraffin. The only limit that the FDA has established is for FD&C color additives that are sometimes used to color lipstick, and these are allowed to contain 10-20 ppm of lead!
Anything Goes When it Comes to Cosmetics
Lead is just the beginning of the toxins that exist in your makeup and cosmetics. It says right on the FDA’s Web site:
"The regulatory requirements governing the sale of cosmetics are not as stringent as those that apply to other FDA-regulated products... Manufacturers may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to market a product without a government review or approval."
This is not so in many other regions such as the European Union, which banned the use of chemicals that may cause cancer, mutation or birth defects. Apparently the FDA has no problem with these, because they get the green light here in America.
Ingredients to watch out for include:
- Paraben, a chemical found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics that has been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can drive the growth of human breast tumors.
- Phthalates, plasticizing ingredients (present in nearly three-quarters of 72 products tested by the Environmental Working Group), which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men, among other problems.
- Mercury, used in mascara, gels, and even eye drops, this metal can damage your brain function. Look for it listed as “thimerosal.”
- Musks, used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.
- Artificial fragrances, which are among the top five known allergens, and can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks. Fragrances can also contain neurotoxins and cause hormone disruption.
- Petroleum byproducts, used in makeup, shampoo (even baby shampoo), face creams and more, these chemicals have been linked to cancer.
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a chemical used in shampoo to prevent bacteria from developing, which may have detrimental effects on your nervous system.
Are Any Lipsticks Safe?
Your cosmetics should be just as pure as the food you eat because ultimately they both end up in the same place: your body. Look for products that actually list their ingredients, and then accept only those with items you recognize.
You can also look for products that have signed the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics “Compact for Safe Cosmetics,” which is a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms. Another great resource is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.
You can look for many categories of cosmetics and choose only those with a low (0-2) score.
Last but not least, I am proud to report that my team has been researching this topic extensively and we are very close to launching one of the best skin care product lines out there. It is truly effective, has absolutely no synthetic ingredients, and is packaged in glass bottles. |
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Community Comments ( 10 ) |
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Why do they not list the 33 lipsticks that contain lead? Where can we find the brands, as I'd like to know which of my lipsticks to toss out?
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Kelly,
Go to the two websites listed. They have good information. the "campaign for safe cosmetics' has the list and the other has 1000's (literally 1000's) of products listed and their ingredients and a rating.
Mercola's articles usually have the backup information in them. All you need to do is 'click'.
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I'd toss them all out. Its not only the lead you have to worry about in your lipstick or cosmetics, as Dr Mercola mentioned there are other toxic ingredients in all the "off the shelf" products, even the ones that claim natural and organic. Just check out the link provided by A Storm to learn what the ingredients are in your product. Its also as easy as reading the ingredients list of your products in the bathroom and your cosmetics bag...if you cant pronounce it chances are its a synthetic chemical or toxic preservative, and dangerous.
These are the products you put on your face, your body, your hair, under your arms, spray on your skin....they are absorbed into the body and accumulate in the tissues and organs.....parabens have been found in tumours taken out of breast tissue.
The only real guarantee you have of purity of product is to buy certified organic, to food standard. If the ingredients are free from synthetic chemicals, preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial fragrance, herbicides, pesticides etc you can feel safe in the knowledge that you are not loading your body full of harmful chemicals....
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Remarkably they did not blame Chinese toy makers or Mexican jalapeno growers for the lead in the lipstick. If we can't blame them, who are we going to blame?
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ET |
[ Joined on 07/06 ] [ Posted on August 9, 2008] |
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According to the produce lady where I shop the tainted Jalapeno peppers recently taken off the market were mexican.
Jalapeno's are back in the stores because the US crops are finally ready for harvest.
If the shoe fits, blame whoever is responsible.
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http://www.care2.com/news/member/185341883/820380?saved=1
Poisoning By Toxic Metals - Most Toxicity, in Order,.#1 Is Most Toxic, - # 9. Fluoride - # 80. Mercury - # 82. Lead,
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Why is everyone so worried about lead, .. Fluoride is much more toxic, and people ingest Fluoride every day,.. Wake Up, Get Conscious, Help Save Our Earth
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organicmum |
[ Joined on 04/07 ] [ Posted on August 9, 2008] |
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True Scott1111, we need to be conscious on every level....what we drink, what we eat, what we put on our skin..
Also who are the companies that are creating and selling these products, they are they poisoning the earth as well as people.
We need to get this out to the public, most of Mercola readers are aware and conscious. We need an awakening of the wider public, a growing awareness about the connections between what they spend their money on and what impact that has on the wider ecology.
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I don't think any amount of lead is acceptable! Not only are the lips very vascular (and if they crack/bleed, guess where the lead goes directly, not to mention it just soaks right into your lips via the skin), but you talk, chew, lick your lips, drink, eat, etc. So, you end up eating little bits of lead and reapplying numerous times a day. For ladies that love their lipstick and can't live without it, I wonder how much lead has accumulated in their bodies over the years. I switched to all organic powder mineral make-up years ago. I use organic, all natural ingredient lip balm as a 'lipstick'. Most of the time, I don't wear any make-up at all and I never have. But I do like to use an organic face moisturizer with no toxic ingredients. Other than that, I stay away from face cake that detracts from natural beauty and health.
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I guess this is one reason why devout Seventh-day Adventist women do not wear cosmetics. The main reason is that they adhere to the Bible teaching about outward adornment.
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sanderman |
[ Joined on 12/07 ] [ Posted on August 9, 2008] |
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wisesolu,
I doubt that devout Seventh Day Adventist women are aware of the dangerous chemicals in lipsticks and other cosmetics. However, following their conviction has kept them safe. There are many benefits to following Biblical convictions that may not at first be apparent.
The passage you are referring to (I Peter 3:1-4)states that a woman's adornment should be an inner beauty, not just from outer things such as braiding hair or wearing jewelry or fancy clothes. It doesn't necessarily state that a woman should never do those things, but instead says her true beauty will be in her "hidden person of the heart."
As a "devout" Christian, I have no problem with women that wear make up, though I myself wear it only occassionally. As a whole, I think we women could stand to wear a lot less make up. Wouldn't it be nice if women (men too, for that matter) started putting as much or more focus on being inwardly beautiful as we do on looking good on the outside?
~Claire~
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