I am a lip balm/lipstick junkie. I can’t get enough of the stuff. I have lipstick containers stashed everywhere-in the car, drawers, coat pockets, bathrooms-no space is spared. I love lipstick.
FDA finds lead in most lipstick
I began to have second thoughts about my addiction to lipstick when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new study in September 2009 finding lead in all brands of lipstick tested. This was really bad news for me and all other lipstick lovers since health experts have found there are no safe levels of lead.
What really worried me was the number of times during the day that I licked my lips or lipstick got on my teeth, food and tongue and made its way into my body. The lips are one of the most sensitive and absorbent parts of the body.
Lead is not something to be messed with. It can build up in your body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels.
It is pretty scary stuff to know that currently the FDA does not regulate the lead, or any other toxin, in lipstick. The companies producing the lipstick are not required to list lead as an ingredient. These companies are completely in compliance with the FDA’s regulations and can continue to use lead in their products. So there is no way of knowing if a product is truly lead free.
How do you know if there is lead in your lipstick?
One option is to contact the company directly to ask if their lipstick has lead. The Daily Green came up with a great list back in 2007 of 11 lipsticks that don’t contain lead. Great to know that these lipsticks are lead free, but some do contain other toxins that could be ingested and most didn’t score very well on EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.
My list of safe lipsticks:
I decided to create my own short list of lipsticks that I either use or have used that don’t contain lead. I contacted each of these companies to verify they are lead free. An added bonus-3 of these received a low hazard score on EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.
- Hemp Organics Lipstick
- PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics
- Gabriel Cosmetics Lipstick
Received a moderate hazard score on Skin Deep.
- Miessence
- Mychelle Dermaceuticals -my favorite color suede
Not rated on Skin Deep.
What can you do to promote safe cosmetics?
Get involved in The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and take action to spread the word that safe is in and toxic is out.
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*Top photo used under Creative Commons from May Cristof
*Disclosure: If you buy anything through the Amazon links in this post it will put a few pennies in my pocket-thanks!
Love this post. I have just become more aware of the dangers in lipstick/lip balm too. In fact, I decided the only safe way to provide my children with lip balm was to make it myself! Which was very easy BTW!
But but but I love my Burt’s Bees pomegranate lip gloss.
Hi Robin. I just checked on Skin Deep and Burt’s Bees lip gloss scored a 3 on the hazard score key-not bad. Unfortunately, Burt’s Bees probably does contain lead. Check out Burt’s Bees for more info. Time for some new lip gloss??? Sorry!
Hi Kristina! ok-you need to share your recipe……another great product idea! What a great solution DIY lip balm.
I love your site – always a go-to for tips on living a greener life! Cheers!
You are so sweet Shoshana. Thanks so much for the lovely complement. So nice to have you on board.
Great article! Do you know if the companies you’ve recommended test and screen for lead? Most lead is not intentionally added to the lipstick but is a byproduct of natural colorants. I’d be curious to see if these companies are testing for lead on an ongoing basis!
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Hi Lori,
First, thank you so very much for all the wonderful and highly important information.
I also would like to ask you if you feel safe about Benecos lipstick ( any color). Does it contain any toxins?? I think I read somewhere that it is lead free but as you say, if a product is lead free it doesn’t necessarily toxic free.
I would appreciate your 2 cents with regards to Benecos lipsticks.
thank you so very much,
Sarah.
Hi Sarah, I’m not sure about Benecos. Did you reach out to the company to ask about lead? That would be a great starting point. I took a quick look on the Skin Deep site and they don’t have any information about the brand. I would definitely start by contacting the company and asking questions. Please let me know what you find.