In this day and age lipstick is pretty much a must in every woman’s makeup kit. I personally do not use much makeup, only some mascara and blush, but I wear lipstick pretty much every day. I find it fun to change my look with just one application. Even as a child, when my mother would prohibit adult makeup, I would try to color my lips by sucking on colored lollipops or red M&Ms. But nowadays as it turns out, my favorite accessory can be dangerous to my health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that 400 of the most popular shades of lipstick contain traces of lead.

The FDA did not always worry about lipstick. That all changed in 2007 when a study done by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found traces of lead in most of the 33 lipstick they tested. Upon making this discovery, the organization began pressuring the FDA for tests on all lipsticks available on the market. Now that the tests are done and the results are in, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is pressuring the FDA to set a limit on lead in cosmetics.

The results are thus in. The two worst offenders were Maybelline and L’Oreal. Maybelline’s Color Sensation Pink Petal had 7.19 parts per million of lead while L’Oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic had 7 parts per million.  Other brands like Cover Girl and Nars offered lipsticks that have about 4 to 5 parts per million of lead. The average amount of lead within the sample of 400 lipsticks was approximately 1 part per million. The testing by the FDA began in 2007 when the organization first looked at 20 shades of lipstick.  None of the then tested shades had more than 3.06 parts per million. In California, the limit for lead in lipsticks is 5 per million. In this state, the two worst offenders cannot sell their product. Every other lipstick tested is still legally sold in the state.

As previously mentioned, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been exerting pressure upon the FDA to limit the amount of lead lipsticks can contain. However, the FDA has been resisting, stating that the amount found in lipstick does not pose a high risk to consumers especially since very little of the products is ingested. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recently issued a statement in which they urge the FDA to reconsider stating that “lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels”. The group advices expecting mothers to stay away from lipstick and it also asks parents to keep the makeup away from children. Exposure to lead can affect the child’s IQ and cause behavioral and learning problems. The FDA is currently evaluating the need for a limit on lead in lipstick.