ATLANTA: Lipsticks tested by a US consumer rights group found that more
than half contained lead and some popular brands including Cover Girl, L’Oreal
and Christian Dior had more lead than others, the group said on Thursday.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said tests on 33 brand-name red lipsticks by the
Bodycote Testing Group in Santa Fe Spring, California, found that 61% had
detectable lead levels of 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm).
Lipstick, like candy, is ingested. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition
of public health, environmental and women’s groups, said the FDA has not set a
limit for lead in lipstick.
One-third of the lipsticks tested contained an amount of lead that exceeded the
US Food and Drug Administration’s 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy — a standard
established to protect children from ingesting lead, the group said. Thirty-nine
per cent of the lipsticks tested had no discernible lead, it said.
"It’s critical that manufacturers reformulate their product," said Stacy Malkan,
a co-founder of the coalition. "It’s possible to make lipsticks without lead,
and all companies should be doing that."
Lead can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as reduced school
performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women and young children are
particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, the group said in its statement. Lead
has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage, it said. Over the last
three months, more than 20 million toys made in China have been recalled, mostly
due to the use of lead paint.
