The kiss of death: does your lipstick contain lead? Check out this list!

Is it true that lipstick contains lead?

For several years, there has been some concern about lead in lipstick. To date, there is no evidence of high levels of lead in lipstick, though some brands do contain very small amounts of lead.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates cosmetics sold in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Under the act, the FDA doesn't subject cosmetics, including lipstick, to scrutiny and approval before these products are marketed. The exception is most lipstick color additives, which are screened before being marketed. FDA regulations for approved color additives allow trace levels of heavy metals, including lead. To date, the FDA has not determined these levels to be a health threat. Other ingredients in lipsticks, such as waxes and oils, are not subject to FDA testing.

The FDA is developing a lead test for lipsticks and says that it intends to publish results in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Meantime, there is no recommendation from the FDA that restricts the use of lipsticks because of lead.

Lipsticks with less than 0.02 parts per million (ppm) lead
Brand	Product Name/Shade	Lead	Parent Company	State	Purchase Date
Avon	Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee	<0.02	Avon	MA*	08/27/07
Body Shop	Lip Colour Garnet	<0.02	L'Oreal	MA	08/27/07
Body Shop	Lip Colour Garnet	<0.02	L'Oreal	CA	08/27/07
Clinique	Long Last Lipstick Merlot	<0.02	Estee Lauder	MA	08/27/07
Dior	Replenishing Lipcolor Red Premiere	<0.02	LVMH	MA	08/27/07
Estee Lauder	Maraschino	<0.02	Estee Lauder	MN	08/26/07
MAC	Matte Lipstick Viva Glam 1	<0.02	Estee Lauder	MA	08/27/07
Revlon	Superlustrous Love That Red	<0.02	Revlon	CT	08/27/07
Revlon	Superlustrous Bed of Roses	<0.02	Revlon	CA	08/23/07
Revlon	Colorstay Lipcolor Red Velvet	<0.02	Revlon	CA	08/23/07
Tarte	Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick	<0.02	Tarte	MA	08/27/07
Wet N Wild	Wild Mega Colors Cherry Blossom	<0.02	Markwins	CA	08/23/07
Wet N Wild	Wild Mega Colors Cherry Blossom	<0.02	Markwins	CT	08/27/07
Lipsticks with detectable levels of lead but less than 0.1 ppm lead (the FDA-recommended limit for candy)
MAC	Matte Lipstick Viva Glam	0.03	Estee Lauder	MN	08/26/07
Revlon	Love That Red	0.03	Revlon	MN	08/26/07
Cover Girl	Queen Collection Ruby Remix	0.03	P & G	CT	08/27/07
Clinique	Long Last Paprika	0.03	Estee Lauder	CA	08/23/07
Dior	Replenishing Lipcolor Red Premiere	0.04	LVMH	CA	08/26/07
Body Shop	Garnet	0.06	L'Oreal	MN	08/26/07
Wet N Wild	Cherry Frost	0.06	Markwins	MN	08/26/07
Clinique	Red	0.09	Estee Lauder	MN	08/26/07
Burt's Bees	Lip Shimmer Merlot	0.09	Burt's Bees	MA	08/29/07
Lipsticks with lead levels higher than 0.1 ppm
Maybelline	NY Moisture Extreme Scarlet Simmer	0.11	L'Oreal	CT	08/27/07
Cover Girl	Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red	0.12	P & G	CA	08/23/07
Peacekeeper	Paint Me Compassionate	0.12	Peacekeeper	MA	08/27/07
Maybelline	NY Moisture Extreme Midnight Red	0.18	L'Oreal	MN	08/26/07
Maybelline	NY Moisture Extreme Cocoa Plum	0.19	L'Oreal	CA	08/23/07
Dior	Addict Positive Red	0.21	LVMH	CA	08/23/07
Cover Girl	Continuous Color Cherry Brandy	0.28	P & G	CA	08/23/07
L'Oreal	Colour Riche True Red	0.50	L'Oreal	MN	08/26/07
Cover Girl	Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red	0.56	P & G	MN	08/26/07
L'Oreal	Colour Riche Classic Wine	0.58	L'Oreal	CT	08/27/07
L'Oreal	Colour Riche True Red	0.65	L'Oreal	CA	08/23/07

Sources:

Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lead-in-lipstick/AN01618

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071012/lipstick_chart_071012/20071012/

Important Notice: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your community pharmacist or physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.