Pucker up ladies, we’ve got the latest in lipstick research.
We all go to drugstores and department stores and reach for those new lipstick and lipgloss colors to add to our growing collection. But wait. Research that was done at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health found out that there were 32 different lipsticks and lip glosses that contained the following:
- lead
- cadmium
- chromium
- aluminum
There were five other metals in addition to these and the levels were high enough to cause health problems.
The researchers emphasized that the issue isn’t the presence of the toxic metals, but their levels.
How does one get poisoned by their own lipsticks?
So let’s say you did purchase a lipstick or lip gloss that contain these toxic metals. How do you get “poisoned” then? When you get lip happy and apply these lipsticks and lip glosses, you tend to ingest them and they also get absorbed.
If you’re an average or a high user of lipstick and lip gloss, then you might want to take a break from puckering up. An average user has a daily ingestion of 24mg of lipstick or lip gloss a day while a high user gets to use 87mg.
Average users get to be exposed to chromium, which is a carcinogen linked to stomach tumors. If you’re a high user, you’re putting toxic metals in your brain and brain stem.
Moms Beware
One of the researchers concerns were lipstick and lip gloss exposure to children. We all know that your kids, especially those cute little girls, tend to play with your makeup. Try to hide these away from them because while adults can tolerate exposure to these toxic metals, children cannot. So try not to exposure your kids to your lip makeup.
So does the study say get rid of all your lipsticks and lip glosses and go au naturel? Nope. You don’t have to. Though the best way to avoid ingestion is not to put lipstick. What you can do is to avoid ingestion by
But if you can’t go without, then what you can do is to avoid ingestion by patting your lips on tissue after application and to not put lipstick and lip gloss very often. Perhaps twice a day will do.
Read more about it here on Urbanette: http://www.urbanette.com/lipstick-shade-lead-and-lethal/
This video also shows us more about the study:
How do I know if the brand that I’m using has these toxic ingredients?
I never let my daughter use makeup at such a young age. Even lipglosses.
You could have placed a list of toxic items.
I don’t quite get this article. It says pat your lips after application. So what’s the point? I mean, the lipstick is still on your lips.
Not all lipsticks aren’t safe, glosses too. There are just certain brands that have higher toxicity rate. Just find your perfect product that’s safe even for kids.
I don’t think the FDA will approve lipsticks and glosses if it’s unsafe. I’m sure that there are levels required for it to be safe and it’s quite a big move for a brand if they’re not taking note of that.