Lead in Lipsticks

I read a report by FDA on Lead in Lipsticks. FDA published lead levels on 400 lipsticks tested. Average lead amount found was 1.11 parts per million. The report was publish to assure the public that lead levels were still safe and within acceptable standards. So is this a concern to women folk and should we jump on the bandwagon to sought lead free alternatives?

Before we get all riled up, did you know lead can be found in the following

Air, Dust, Tap Water, Bottled water, Garden Soil, Chocolate, Coffee, Candy, Pottery etc

So basically just about everything contains lead. For example Chocolate absorbs lead from the environment during production, and there is a slight concern of mild lead poisoning for some types of chocolate. The average lead concentration of cocoa beans was a very low ≤ 0.5 nanogram/g, one of the lowest reported values for a natural food. Lead concentration of chocolate was as high as 70 ng/g for chocolate products and 230 ng/g for manufactured cocoa.

200,000 ng equal to 0.0002 grams or 2 milligrams is the WHO tolerable daily limit for lead consumption.

Lead is a toxic metal found in mineral colour pigments used to give cosmetics their colour. There are varying levels of purity when it comes to mineral pigments thus the wide range of lead levels detected in the FDA test results.

Top 20 contenders in this report are

-       

     - Maybelline Color Sensational 125 Pink Petal  - 7.19 (parts per million – ppm)

-       - L’Oreal Colour Riche 410 Volcanic  - 7.00 ppm

-       - NARS Semi-Matte 1005 Red Lizard – 4.93 ppm

-       - Cover Girl Vibrant Hues Color Q580 Ruby Remix – 4.92 ppm

-       - NARS Semi-Matte 1009 Funny Face – 4.89ppm

-       - L’Oreal Colour Riche 165 Tickled Pink – 4.45

-       - L’Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lip Colour 748 Heroic – 4.41ppm

-       - Cover Girl Continuous Colour 025 Warm Brick – 4.28 ppm

-       - Maybelline Color Sensational 475 Mauve Me – 4.23 ppm

-       - Stargazer Lipstick 103 – 4.12 ppm

-       - Stargazer Lipstick 103 Matte – 4.06 ppm

-       - Revlon 009 Fabulous Fig – 3.32 ppm

-       - Sonia Kashuk Luxury Lip Color 27 Mauvey – 3.12 ppm

-       - Avon Beyond Color 558 Mad for Mauve – 3.08 ppm

-       - L’Oreal Endless 530 Mauve Amour – 2.87 ppm

-       - Revlon ColorStay 375 Ripened Red – 2.84 ppm

-       - Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer Toffee – 2.81 ppm

-       - Revlon Super Lustrous Pearl 631 Luminous Pink – 2.81 ppm

-       - Sonia Kashuk Luxury Lip Color 27 Mauvy – 2.80 ppm

-       - Revlon Super Lustrous Pearl 643 Satin Plum – 2.77 ppm

I was surprise to see Burts Bees so high up on this list of contenders. I was disheartened as I recently shifted to their products especially the Shimmer Lipstick range. They never advocated that their products were certified organic or did not contain metals but they did give the impression that a lot of care and consideration was given to produce a range of personal care products that are 100% natural. I guess “natural” does not carry much weight in the cosmetics industry other than an advertising gimmick.

Lead Poisoning

Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the nervous system and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders. (Wikipedia Lead Poisoning)

Lead Free Cosmetic Brands

Extract from http://earth-friendly-beauty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/burts-bees-response-to-lead-in-lipstick.html

The following brands all have fabulous lip products that are free of toxins like lead. Ere Perez, Inika, Adorn, Youngblood, Alexami, Emani, RMS Beauty, Miessence, Dr Hauschka, NVEY ECO, Lavera, and Ilia (just to name a few). Kiss My Face also do a lip shimmer that is very similar to Burt's Bees but without the lead. I would love to hear from anyone who have tried these brands and if its available in Malaysia, Singapore or Australia.

Preventive Measures (www.epa.gov)

Simple steps like keeping your home clean and feeding your family a well-balanced diet will go a long way in preventing lead poisoning. You can lower the chances of exposure to lead in your home, both now and in the future, by taking these steps:

• Use only cold water to prepare food and drinks.
• Flush all water outlets used for drinking or food preparation.
• Clean debris out of all outlet screens or aerators on faucets on a regular basis.
• Keep your home clean and dust-free.
• Wipe up any paint chips or visible dust with a wet sponge or rag. Clean dust around areas where there is friction and dust can be generated, such as doors, windows, and drawers.
• Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers and toys often.
• Teach children to wipe and remove their shoes and wash hands after playing outdoors.
• Ensure that your family members eat well-balanced meals. Lead interferes with some of the body's basic functions. Our bodies can't tell the difference between lead and calcium, which is a mineral that strengthens bones. Children with healthy diets absorb less lead.
• Make sure your contractor is Lead Safe Certified.

Conclusion

I am not saying go organic as most if not all natural lipsticks has not been tested for lead post manufacturing. If cosmetics company stop iron oxides and titanium oxides in cosmetics, which is doubtful will ever happen and switch to say fruit pigments to color cosmetics then we’re still going to contend with lead that can show-up in fruits and vegetables, either from soil it’s grown in or the lead that lands on it from environmental dust. Remember there is far more lead in bottled water than from lipsticks.

Nevertheless we should know what ingredients are used and how our lipsticks fair amongst  peers in the industry.

Unit of Measurement

"Parts per Million" is a way to quantify very low concentrations of substances. For example, 1 ppm is equivalent to 1 milligram of something per liter of liquid (abbreviated as mg/L) or 1 milligram of something per kilogram of solid substance (abbreviated as mg/kg).

In terms of percents, 1 ppm equals 0.0001 percent.

If a product has 20 ppm, that would mean it contains 20 milligrams of gluten (about 7 thousandths of an ounce, or 0.0007 ounces) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) or per liter.