Call for FDA to set limit on lead in lipsticks
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the FDA to recommend lead limits for lipsticks
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend statements on its website regarding the safety of lead in lipsticks. The organisation is also calling on L’Oréal to make a public commitment to reformulate its lipsticks so that they have the lowest possible levels of lead.
The FDA tested 400 lipsticks purchased between February and July 2010, the results of which are due to be published in the May/June 2012 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Sciences. It found that the average lead concentration in the 400 lipsticks tested was 1.11ppm, which was close to the average of 1.07ppm obtained in the initial survey it carried out in 2007 when it tested 20 lipsticks. The 2010 results ranged from the detection limit of 0.026ppm to the highest value of 7.19ppm.
Top of the list was L’Oréal USA’s Maybelline Color Sensational (Pink Petal 125) followed by L’Oréal Colour Riche (Volcanic 410) at 7.00ppm. However, another L’Oréal USA product – Colour Juice (Cherry on Top 240) shared the bottom spot of 0.026ppm with Wet n Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm (Bahama Mama 281) from Markwins International and Estée Lauder’s Clinique Almost Lipstick (Black Honey 06).
The FDA concluded: “Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick.”
However, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is concerned that lead builds up in the body over time and, as lipstick is often applied several times a day, it can add up to significant exposure levels.