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No Smiling Matter: Lead Found in Lipsticks, Including L'Oreal

Toys made in China aren’t the only products laced with dangerous heavy metals: lipsticks manufactured in the United States and used daily by millions of American women also contain surprisingly high levels of lead, according to product tests released by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in October 2007.

The lead tests were conducted by an independent laboratory in September on lipsticks bought in Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Hartford, Conn. More than half of the 33 brand-name lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm).

One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the FDA guideline for lead in candy, 0.1 ppm, established to reduce lead exposure among children. Even though lipstick products, like candy, are directly ingested and absorbed into the body, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick. It’s part of a disturbing pattern of lax safety standards in the $50 billion personal care products industry.

Among the leading brands found to contain lead were:

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
Christian Dior Addict “Positive Red” – 0.21 ppm
Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. It has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure because lead easily crosses the placenta and can interfere with fetal brain development.

One-third of the lipsticks tested had no detectable amount of lead, so lead-free lipstick is possible. And the amounts of lead in the lipsticks tested didn’t correlate with the price of the product, so we know that manufacturing lipstick without lead doesn’t break the bank.

Stand up and shout: Lipstick shouldn’t contain lead! Get started by sending a letter to L’Oreal, whose Colour Riche “True Red” and “Classic Wine” lipsticks were found to have the highest levels of lead in our sample.

After sending your letter via our Web site, please submit a copy via L’Oreal’s online contact form (it’s important to send this message to two sources). You can also use the letter as a template for sending to the maker of your favorite lipstick. Thank you!

>>Learn More

November 21, 2009

Subject:

In September 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent 33 lipsticks purchased in four different states to an independent lab to be tested for lead. The two highest lead counts were both found in L’Oreal Colour Riche lipsticks. Colour Riche “True Red” lipstick had 0.65 parts per million of lead and Colour Riche “Classic Wine” lipstick had 0.58 ppm. I find this unacceptable. Lead is a proven neurotoxin linked to learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, impulsiveness, reduced school performance, increased aggression, seizures and brain damage, anemia, and, after long exposure, damage to the kidneys. Lead has also been linked to miscarriage, reduced fertility in both men and women, hormonal changes, menstrual irregularities and delays in the onset of puberty in girls. American women love their lipstick – many won’t leave home without it, and would prefer to give up all other makeup than discontinue their use of lipstick. The number of girls and teens using lipstick regularly is also increasing. Undoubtedly, most of these women think that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that cosmetics companies use safe, non-toxic ingredients, which is unfortunately not the case. Ingredients in lipstick are unintentionally ingested and absorbed into the body. We know from the lipstick samples tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that lipsticks can be manufactured without lead: lead levels varied widely in these samples, even within brands from the manufacturer’s different brands. In recent months, there has been public outrage over the use of lead paint in children’s toys and other products. Massive product recalls, countless news stories and opinion editorials, and elected official’s assurances that the use of lead in consumer goods will be a thing of the past now leaves your company with important decisions to make: 1) Will L’Oreal take responsibility for this problem and quickly act to reformulate its lipsticks to get the lead out? 2) Moving forward, will L’Oreal test products for the presence of lead and other contaminants before they are put on the shelves? 3) Will L’Oreal work with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to make safer products, to require a guarantee from your suppliers that raw materials are free of lead and other contaminants and to strengthen the FDA’s oversight of the personal care products industry? I look forward to hearing from you on this important consumer health issue. I believe that cleaner, healthier cosmetics and personal care products will be good for your customers and your business.
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