Striving4Zen

It took two years, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally made good on its promise to conduct its own analysis of lead in lipstick. The results, suffice to say, ain't pretty.

The FDA, which published its analysis in the July/August 2009 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, found lead in all 20 of the lipsticks it tested, with levels ranging fro 0.01 parts per million (ppm) to 3.06ppm—more than four times the highest level of 0.65ppm reported in the groundbreaking 2007 study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), which uncovered lead in more than 60% of 33 popular lipsticks.

Although the FDA stated that three manufacturers had the highest levels of lead, it did not disclose any names. (The 2007 CSC report also found a few brands with consistently higher lead levels, including L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Cover Girl.)

In a live Webinar held last week, Malkan noted that 39% of the lipsticks the nonprofit tested had no lead, including a $1.99 tube by Wet 'N Wild. (In contrast, a $24 lipstick from Dior had among the higher levels of lead.) "Of course it can be done," Malkan said. "Companies already know how to make lipstick without lead and that's what they all should be doing."

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Labels: lead, lipstick, make-up, study, toxic, toxins