Beware of Lead in Popular Lipstick Brands–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
The email says that several lipstick brands contain lead and suggests a simple way to tell whether there is lead in your lipstick.
The Truth:
We’ve spent a considerable amount of time looking into this one and there is nothing to substantiate the claims of this email.
The most important thing that can be said is that in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulates the lead content in food and cosmetics.
The lead levels, if there are any, are tiny and not regarded as harmful by the FDA.
The history of cosmetics does include products with lead content. According to the folks at Maybelline, certain ancient Greek women were said to have coated their face, necks, and breasts with a white powder before applying color make up. They didn’t realize that the lead content of that white powder was toxic. In England, Elizabethan women used white lead face paint along with mercury sulfide for rouge. The attempts at beauty were marked with falling hair, sickness, and even death.
Some companies that manufacture what they call “natural cosmetics” do sometimes claim that mainstream products contain lead.
Last updated 10/18/2003