Lead in Lipstick – Should We Be Concerned?

Tips from the Makeup Gal:

The debate has been going on for years as to whether or not there is enough lead found in lipstick to cause lead poisoning or cancer. A products test by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 20 of 33 brand name lipsticks that contained detectable levels of lead ranging from .03 to 0.65 parts per million. The FDA supposedly has no set limit for lead in lipsticks but, it does have to regulate selections of dyes that manufacturers produce such as F&C RED #6. Lead builds up in the system over time and can affect most every organ in the body. It mainly affects the nervous system. Anything we wear or put against our lips is often ingested to a degree.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found lesser expensive brands such as Revlon had no detectable levels of lead whereas, some higher end brands contained higher levels. That’s not to say lead amounts were not found in drugstore brands though.
One theory to find out if your lipstick contains lead is to apply the lipstick to your hand and rub a "gold" ring on the lipstick. If the color changes to black, then the lipstick contains lead. Lipsticks that were tested in this category that were found to contain lead were brands such as Chanel, Shiseido, Clinique, Christian Dior, Lancome, Red Earth, Estee Lauder, and YSL, with YSL containing the highest amount. I tried this test with numerous lipsticks of my own. I tried 5 colors from the Clinique Color Surge line and detected no black. Other brands I tested were Besame, Merle Norman, and Jane Iredale with no lead containing results. Only 2 colors I tested immediately turned black and these were longer wearing shades that were deeply pigmented. Neither brand is in the list above. I tested approximately 30 to 35 different shades and brands of lipstick. Keep in mind this is a rudimentary test at best.
Supposedly, no human has contracted lead poisoning from lipstick but, how would one pinpoint and come to this conclusion is another question. The Mayo Clinic’s answer to the question of lead in lipstick is "you can paint your lips without worrying".
Kim Myers