Are you freaking out as much as I am about the lead in the lipstick thing? Well, apparently every one else is too except of course the make up companies and the FDA.
The Chain Letter
On my search to get up to the minute information the lead in the lipstick matter, I found out that there was a chain letter that seemed to start circulating around 2003. It has a list of lipsticks brands that was suspected to have lead in them as well as this interesting test that is supposed to tell you how you can test for lead in your lipstick yourself. All you need to do is put a little lipstick on your hand and rub a 24k gold ring on it. Viola! If the lipstick changes color it has lead in it. It is a bogus test and it doesn't really work. Wouldn't it be a great test if it actually worked, though. So much for Internet chain letters actually helping us out. Also, the lipsticks that are listed in the chain letter are not the same lipsticks the advocacy group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are referring to.
At the time the chain letter started many credible Internet sites tried to dispel the “lead in lipstick myth” that this chain letter claimed. Sights like Mayo Clinic, Urban Legends, and Snopes all have articles that are attempting to discredit the chain letter from a few years ago.
Fast forward to 2007 and now we are finding the grain of truth that this strange chain letter was trying to warn us about.
Here are the some facts on this new lipstick scandal and the current developments.
The FDA has no set limit on how much lead can be in lipstick.
A consumer advocacy group called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had lipsticks tested at an independent lab and found lead in many name brand lipsticks like Loreal, Cover Girl and Dior.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have asked to FDA to take action.
The FDA confirms the findings but stops short of recalling any products.
The levels of lead found in these lipsticks are more than what is considered safe in candy.
Cosmetic Companies claim the lead levels are in a safe range.
None of the brands that tested positive for lead listed lead as an ingredient.
Fact: The average woman eats about six pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.
What can we do protect ourselves?
Among the brands tested these were some of the ones with the highest levels of lead.
-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
Some experts have said that the lipsticks that are most likely to have the most lead are deepest or brightest red colors.
Do you think that the FDA should do a recall? Talk about it in our forum.
