400 lipsticks found to contain lead, FDA says

[The Straight Story]

400 lipsticks found to contain lead, FDA says

Four hundred of the nation’s most popular lipsticks contained trace levels of lead when tested recently by the federal government, confirming similar results of earlier analyses but on a much wider scale and at higher levels than previously detected.

Five L’Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks, owned by L’Oreal USA, ranked among the top 10 most contaminated brands, according to the analysis by the Food and Drug Administration. Two Cover Girl and two NARS lipsticks also landed in top 10 slots, as did one from Stargazer.

The findings exacerbate an ongoing disagreement between the FDA and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a consumer group that’s been pushing the government for years to set limits for lead levels in lipsticks. The FDA has resisted, insisting that the lead levels detected in two rounds of its own testing, including the most recent one, do not pose safety risks. But the consumer group says the FDA has no scientific basis for its conclusion.

Reports of lead in lipstick date to the 1990s, when test results from a commercial laboratory raised concerns. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 red lipsticks in 2007 and found that two-thirds of them contained lead — and that one-third of those exceeded the FDA’s limit for lead in candy. The FDA followed up with its own tests on 20 lipsticks in 2008 and then on 400 lipsticks in the most recent analysis, and found detectable levels in all the products it tested.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/400-lipstick-brands-contain-lead-fda-says/2012/02/14/gIQAhOyeDR_story.html

[Little Star]

1. WTH!!! Where are these made China? Was there always this problem with lipstick or..

is it due to globlization/free trade?

[Cleita]

3. I have run across cosmetics made in China.

I look for the place of their manufacture very carefully. Nowadays, I buy my cosmetics from my dermatologist to make sure the ingredients are organic and pure. They are more expensive, but they also go further so the cost averages out.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Yet another reason

for me not to use it.

[think]

4. Lead Lipstick can't be good can it?

I really don't know a great deal about this subject, but with all the efforts to remove lead elsewhere one would think lipstick might be one of those areas?

[avaistheone1]

7. It's quite bad, especially for children.

9Health Reporter Dr. John Torres says it could potentially pose a health risk for children.

[LadyHawkAZ]

5. Gave up wearing it years ago

hopefully now others will too.

[Little Star]

6. I never wore it often but I do have grown daughters that do & that worries me a lot.

[csziggy]

12. I gave up wearing cosmetics because of allergies

Even the "hypoallergenic" ones gave me problems.

I also worry about animal testing. Besides, me wearing makeup is somewhat in the nature of putting lipstick on a pig - the "enhancement" is definitely not worth the expense.

But recently when researching something else I found information on YouTube about making lip gloss at home from natural ingredients, some had instructions on adding color. Just search for "beeswax lip balm".

If I wanted to wear lipstick, I would try that!

[LadyHawkAZ]

13. I gave up most of it at 16

Not for any noble reasons, it just felt icky on my skin. It was uncomfortable and gooey when I did any physical activity or went out in the sun. I figured, what was the point- eventually people were going to have to see my naked face, and if they didn't find that attractive enough, f@#$ em. I wore lipstain and eyeliner when I tended bar, but I don't anymore.

I will google the lip balm though, and pass it on. Thanks.

[csziggy]

15. Mostly I gave them up because the frangrances made me sneeze

And my nose and eyes would run, ruining any good effect the makeup might have had. Even the hypoallergenic makeup had fragrances I reacted to. And all make up gave me acne.

Once I found allergy drugs that worked, the years of information about continuing animal testing made me not desire to try make up again.

Since most of my adult life was spent running a farm, make up seemed pretty useless anyway.

[warrior1]

8. whew

none of mine are on the list.

[yardwork]

9. Is it too much to ask that the government keep lead out of things sold to wear on my lips?

Dammit. I pay taxes. I expect the government to keep lead out of things sold to wear on my mouth.

[BuddhaGirl]

10. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Merlot - YIKES!

I love that color...and Burt's Bees is OWNED BY CLOROX????

[flamingdem]

14. They definately try to look "healthy"

I use watermelon.. couldn't find it but bet it's a bad one. Should I keep it in case there is a law suit, that is the question!

[AsahinaKimi]

11. Yikes...

Glad I don't make a habit of wearing that..