In May, we reported that the lead content in lipstick is something consumers need to be worried about. But now, a new study found a wide range of brands that contain various metals like cadmium and aluminum. The biggest question now – what happens when these metals are swallowed or absorbed into our system on a daily basis?
Katharine Hammon, professor of environmental health sciences at University of California at Berkeley wants people to know that metals are known to affect health.
Dr. Hammond’s study found traces of cadmium, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, manganese, chromium, copper and nickel in 24 lip glosses and 8 lipstick brands. The products picked were favored by teenagers at a community health center nearby, and these girls reported to reapply their lipsticks and lip glosses up to 24 times a day.
Linda Loretz, chief toxicologist for the Personal Care Products Council, says that aluminum is added to lipsticks to stabilize and keep the colors from bleeding, while titanium oxide is used as a whitening agent to soften reds into pinks. If you look at the ingredients list of your tube of lipgloss, you’ll find something called mica. These glittery, microscopic flakes occur naturally during mineral formation to add shine to lip gloss. It contains lead, manganese, chromium, and aluminum. And there is some indication that more intense lipstick colors may carry a bigger metallic load because of contamination in pigments.
But here’s a rule of thumb everyone should know:
“In the F.D.A.’s 2011 analysis, the highest lead reading was found in a deep floral pink lipstick and the lowest in a neutral lip balm. A European study found that brown lipstick tended to be highest in lead [¹], while researchers in Saudi Arabia reported that dark colors averaged 8.9 p.p.m. of lead[²], compared with 0.37 p.p.m. in light-colored lipsticks.”
Dr Hammond recommends that consumers take a smart approach to cosmetics, starting by keeping lipsticks away from children.
“Treat it like something dangerous, because if they eat it we are taking about a comparatively large level of metals going into a small body,” she said.
She also advises to be cautious about the number of times you reapply. Two or three times a day is about enough.
