Lipstick always seems like a benign item. Your mom always carried a tube in her purse. So did your grandmother. Maybe you’ve used yours to draw clown noses on your kids at Halloween. It’s got to be safe if it’s made for your lips, right? But is there lead in your lipstick?

According to a Reuters article:

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said tests on 33 brand-name red lipsticks by the Bodycote Testing Group in Santa Fe Spring, California, found that 61 percent had detectable lead levels of 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm).

Even though lipstick is ingested over the course of wear, the FDA does not set a limit for lead content. Lead has been linked to miscarriage and infertility issues, as well as learning development problems in children. Pregnant women know not to drink, or smoke or consume massive amounts of caffeine, but up until now, lipstick hasn’t been on the common list of things to avoid.

The brands testing positive for lead came back with statements saying that the amount of lead in the lipsticks is less than what would be found in drinking water, but drinking water is a necessity, wearing lipstick is not.  If the cumulative effect is damaging, something’s got to go.  And avoiding water really isn’t an option.

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