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I was in the middle of looking at some lipstick online last night when this piece came on the news.
Great. So what to do? There don't seem to be any clear answers and in the excerpts below, the FDA doesn't seem all that sure about it either—first saying there are no limits set, no need to worry but that they are going to look into it. My emphasis in italics.
This is the color I was looking at Clinique's High Impact Lipstick in After Party. Clinique is owned by Estee Lauder and was the sample number 161 and the lot it was from lot AB9 with 1.07 lead parts per million(Pb/ppm), pretty close to the 1.11 average Pb/ppm.
Has FDA set limits for lead in cosmetics?
No, FDA has not set limits for lead in cosmetics. FDA has set specifications for lead in color additives used in cosmetics. FDA approval of color additives is based on safety evaluations that consider the color additives’ intended uses and estimated consumer exposure resulting from those uses. FDA-approved color additives are listed in Title 21 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). To learn more about FDA-approved color additives, see Color Additives.Is there a safety concern about the lead levels FDA found in lipsticks?
No. We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick.3,4Is there a safety concern about the lead levels FDA found in lipsticks?
No. We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick.3,4
What are FDA's next steps for lead in lipstick?
Although we do not believe that the lead content found in our recent lipstick analyses poses a safety concern, we are evaluating whether there may be a need to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick in order to further protect the health and welfare of consumers.
It has been reported that levels of lead in certain lipsticks exceed those for candy. Is this a fair comparison?
No. The FDA-recommended upper limit for lead in candy is 0.1 ppm. It is not scientifically valid to equate the risk to consumers presented by lead levels in candy, a product intended for ingestion, with that associated with lead levels in lipstick, a product intended for topical use and ingested in much smaller quantities than candy.
When I was young I repeatedly saw the ads about kids chewing the paint chips from their cribs or flaking paint. It concerns me that I know how much lipstick I chew off my lips from nervous habit.
These were the top ten highest lipsticks by concentration of lead parts per million (Pb ppm). It crosses all kinds of lines of brand, price, etc. from NARS to Maybelline, from more than twenty dollars to less than ten dollars. believe that I would make a real effort not chew my lips if I were wearing these.
BUT there is no replicated research or anecdotal evidence showing that women eat X number of pounds of lipstick in their lifetimes (See http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/lipstick.asp.) But, even knowing that I don't eat more lipstick than candy I will probably still think about it.
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