photo from here
I love makeup! For the most part, I practically wear some sort of makeup every day; mascara, tinted moisturizer, lipstick. But can using these makeup products on a day-to-day basis actually cause bodily harm?
Photo taken from here
I started doing some research with a particular focus on lip stick because it is something almost all women wear, and it is a product women wear where it can easily be accidentally ingested.
According to The New York Times, nearly all lipsticks on the market contain a small amount of lead. If you’re wondering why this is a problem, take a look at this site that details some of the dangers that consuming lead can have on the human body. Lead is considered very toxic to humans because it have extreme and continuous negative implications on our internal organs.
Researchers discovered these small amounts of lead in a 2011 FDA study. The FDA was suspicious over growing rumors regarding lead in the makeup industry, and were surprised when their study proved the rumors to hold some truth. When the FDA made the executive decision to do a follow up study, they were shocked to discover that over 400 brands of lip stick included the dangerous metal. They also discovered, that along with lead, there are other metals within the lovable product, such as cadmium and aluminum. Although less damaging than lead, those metals can also be lethal to the body.
Lip stick from here
According to Snopes, lip sticks in the USA with the highest concentrations of lead are the more brighter, pigmented colors. This post also notes a correlation between how long the lip stick lasts and the lead concentration within it, stating that lipsticks that are marketed to last longer have a higher concentration of lead.
The FDA advises all lip-stick wearers not to panic- the lead is not harmful immediately. Instead, the FDA’s main concern is that over time, the lead from the lipstick will be absorbed into the body and accumulate. After a while, theoretically, enough lead will have compiled in the body to cause the harm mentioned above. The New York times article (previously linked above) explains that lead is a material that will “sit” in our body’s organs until there is enough of it in one crevice to be harmful. For more information, here’s a link for a page about lead poisoning.
But, if you are still curious, here is an interesting video showing how you can use a gold ring to test your favorite lipstick for lead! If you get results you may not like, here’s another video where a you-tuber shares her favorite lead- free lip sticks on the market!
-Dana
Sources
- https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cadmium/
- http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/lipstick.asp
- http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/is-there-danger-lurking-in-your-lipstick/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_UfCQuQQbE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gzcVJcu1m4
- https://ryanezamorabeauty.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/lipstick-tag/
- http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/05/study-lead-metals-lipstick-top-20
- http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/
Hi Dana,
Boy do I love makeup. I do wear makeup everyday. I love eye makeup the most to be specific -so I am a little relieved that this wasn’t a blog post about lead being contained in eye shadows. Lipstick is a very important part of a makeup routine though, it finishes off the look essentially. So not being able to wear lipstick would have made me kind of sad. But no need to say no to lipstick all together, to help with making sure you buy lipstick that has been tested for lead and to see just how much lead is in it here’s a link to the FDA’s site. http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm137224.htm
Hi Dana, this was dangerous news to me. Lipstick is one of my favorite makeup products. To hear that it could possibly be harming was devastating. When reading this, I immediately texted my twin sister, who literally has over 100 lipsticks. When I look at the back of any makeup product, I see lists of ingredients I can barely pronounce. It makes you wonder where those chemicals are coming from, and how the FDA goes about approving them. A question I am left wondering is if men have significant less lead related illnesses compared to women, this would show that wearing makeup (which most men do not to) may have effects. Here is a list of lead free lipsticks for everyone out there! http://www.getgreenbewell.com/10-lead-free-lipsticks-for-kissing/
Hi Dana,
Boy do I love makeup. I do wear makeup everyday. I love eye makeup the most to be specific -so I am a little relieved that this wasn’t a blog post about lead being contained in eye shadows. Lipstick is a very important part of a makeup routine though, it finishes off the look essentially. So not being able to wear lipstick would have made me kind of sad. But no need to say no to lipstick all together, to help with making sure you buy lipstick that has been tested for lead and to see just how much lead is in it here’s a link to the FDA’s site. http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm137224.htm
Hey Stephanie!
Yes, I especially love eye makeup. I have really light colored eyebrows and eyelashes, so you already know that I’m at least using mascara and a brow kit every morning! I have not heard of any reports talking about lead in eye shadow, but that would be extremely scary because I’m sure our eyelids are just as absorbent as our lips because they are so delicate and close to another mucus membrane. Thank you for your link! It was really interesting to actually read what percentages of lead are in some of these products- products you can buy at our local CVS! Crazy, right?
Although I’m going to keep using my favourite makeup products, it really is fascinating to google them and see how bad they really can be. And the thought that we put these potentially harmful chemicals on our faces every day is slightly disturbing but hilarious.
I pretty much wear waterproof mascara every day because I naturally have watery eyes. After doing some research, I found this site that explains why waterproof mascara is actually much worse for your eyelashes then normal mascara- it really dries the lashes out! This makes sense because I have always felt that I had brittle lashes…
The struggle is real.
-Dana
Hey Dana,
As an avid makeup enthusiast, I was drawn to your post. I have never heard of makeup products containing lead, which really concerns me. I know today, a hot debate for cosmetic companies in animal testing. This involves makeup products containing lead because the fact they are passing animal test. Many people argue that animal testing is inhumane and should be put to a stop. But others think that animal testing is needed, especialy in situations like this. http://animal-testing.procon.org/ here is website that lays out both the positives and negatives about animal testing. Do you think more animal testing could reduce the amount of makeup products that contain lead?
Hi Dana,
I’ve taken Bi Sci 3 and I highly recommend it if you are looking for another science class- we discussed wearing makeup and how the body absorbs everything you put on your skin and in your body. I do not really read ingredients in foods/make up and I probably should because I am sure some of the ingredients aren’t good for you. in Bi Sci the professor had a slide where he showed a full face of makeup that contained ingredients in it that give you cancer, cause liver disease, kidney failure, etc.- it was crazy and made me never want to wear makeup ever again! I think people should be careful, but it is so hard to find a natural product to like. I’m not a big fan of a full face of makeup anyway- I stick to the basic mascara/bb cream. Here’s an article on makeup from China and its harmful effects (not every product is dangerous- just a disclaimer)- http://mashable.com/2015/11/10/fake-makeup-china/
Hey Kaitlyn,
Thank you for the Bi Sci 3 recommendation! I will definitely look into it as another science class to take.
It is absolutely amazing that our body absorbs our makeup topically. It worries me too, because I wear makeup 6/7 days a week! Over the years, how much makeup has my body absorbed? Scary right… Here’s a really cool article that goes into detail of the supposed FIVE POUNDS of chemicals we absorb yearly due to makeup use alone.
I used to buy makeup from the 100 yen store when I lived in Japan, before I did some research and discovered that cheap makeup was cheap for a reason- because it is poorly made with dangerous chemicals!
I also agree that it can be difficult to find natural products that are comparable to the ones we use on the daily. These added chemicals and what not to our normal products give them such a smooth consistency and fun, bright colors.
-Dana