SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Valentine's Day kisses often include bright read lipstick. And apparently some of brands of the lipstick are being called out for being a danger to your health.
According to the Food and Drug Administration a lot of lipstick contains lead. In fact, the FDA found traces of lead in all 400 lipstick products it recently had tested. While the FDA does not consider the "lead levels to be dangerous." Some consumer advocates disagree and they want the government to set a lead level standard and make companies live by it.
We spoke to Cassie Dow who works at Grassroots Salon and Spa in Layton and is an Aveda products representative about the issue. She's uses lipstick that doesn't include lead and is surprised its still being found in cosmetics. "Knowing it is such a harmful toxin in the body, it is a bit surprising to me."
The issue has been ongoing for years and the list of offenders includes very popular products - made by cosmetics giants like - Maybelline, L'Oreal, NARS and Cover Girl. Here is a list of the top ten offenders. The number next to it is lead parts per million.
1. Maybelline's Color Sensation in Pink Petal. (7.19 ppm)
2. L'Oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic. (7.00 ppm)
3. NARS Semi-Matte in Red Lizard. (4.93 ppm)
4. Cover Girl Queen Collection Vibrant Hues Color in Ruby Remix (4.92 ppm)
5. NARS Semi-Matte in Funny Face. (4.89)
6. L'Oreal Colour Rich in Tickled Pink. ( 4.45)
7. L'Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor in Heroic. (4.41)
8. Cover Girl Continuous Color in Warm Brick. (4.28)
9. Maybelline Color Sensational in Mauve Me. (4.23)
10. Stargazer lipstick in shade "c." (4.12)
The Campaign for For Safe Cosmetics says the amounts of lead in many lipsticks actually exceeds the allowable amount lead in candy. That concerns Cassie. "They say on average the female ingests a tube to a tube and half per year and 4 to 6 pounds in a lifetime."
The FDA says we shouldn't compare something we eat to something we wear. But the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association says you actually should. A spokeman says, 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."
So, what can you do if you want to look good, but want to make sure the products you use are lead free? Cassie says you can use products made by companies like Aveda or just shop around. "There are other options out there, you just need to do a little digging on some natural ingredients and plant powered ingredients."
For more on the FDA lipstick study go to:
http://
www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm137224.htm#expanalyses
