Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has just released a report on the safety of lipsticks sold in stores in 2007. The report found that 61% of the most popular brands sold lip was found to have some level of lead. The amounts ranged from 0.03 to 0.65 ppm (parts per million). The FDA has no limit for lead in lipsticks, but recently identified as candy should not have more than 0.10 ppm of lead due to lead toxicity in children leading to possible difficulties learning and language. More than one third of lipsticks tested in the study went on all of the FDA for a level of food intake. The contaminated brands were L'Oreal, Cover Girl and Christian Dior. It seems that the price had no impact on test results registered trademark of Pharmacy and costly both had the same probability of having high lead content in lipsticks.
Lead is a neurotoxin and the accruals documented in women who become pregnant while easily transferred through the placenta and affect fetal brain development. Lead is not easily excreted from the body and thus accumulates in organs like the liver, kidneys, brain and joints. Many of my patients are surprised at the amount of lead excreted in urine tests for heavy metal challenge and ask me where they could have obtained this heavy metal. Lipstick can be one of the answers, along with water, paint dust, pollution, children's toys, etc. Some of the known effects of lead are
